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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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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: swing · toast · bay · present · press · cue · spring · hand

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. press — a publisher
  2. swing — music
  3. present — a gift
  4. spring — of water
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — for pool
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. present — the time now
  9. press — to push
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. swing — in golf
  12. spring — a coil
  13. press — newspapers
  14. toast — bread
  15. present — there
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. spring — the season
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. swing — to play on
  23. hand — help
  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