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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: chest · mark · roll · foot · press · swing · cabinet · pop

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — to play on
  4. press — a publisher
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. mark — a grade
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. roll — a cake
  13. swing — music
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mark — a trace
  16. roll — a list
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. press — to push
  20. foot — a measure
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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