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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.

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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 · bound · bay · swing · mug · scale · sharp · roll

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. press — to push
  4. scale — in music
  5. bound — certain
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. mug — a face
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bound — obliged
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mug — a cup
  14. swing — in golf
  15. press — a publisher
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. roll — a list
  20. swing — music
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bound — tied together
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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