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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: object · press · snap · field · cabinet · swing · date · hand

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. object — to protest
  3. swing — music
  4. hand — in cards
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. press — newspapers
  7. swing — in golf
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. object — an aim
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. swing — to play on
  13. date — the fruit
  14. field — for sport
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. hand — help
  17. object — a thing
  18. snap — to click
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. press — to push
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. press — a publisher
  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