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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · ball · club · mate · saw · swing · nail · capital

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. press — newspapers
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. press — to push
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. swing — music
  9. club — for dancing
  10. capital — money
  11. mate — to breed
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. ball — a dance
  14. swing — in golf
  15. saw — the tool
  16. capital — a city
  17. press — a publisher
  18. mate — a partner
  19. saw — the tool
  20. swing — to play on
  21. mate — a friend
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. club — a group
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com