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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 · sharp · lie · spring · rash · swing · racket · present

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. swing — music
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — a gift
  7. rash — hasty
  8. press — to push
  9. swing — to play on
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. lie — to recline
  12. sharp — clever
  13. press — a publisher
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. spring — a coil
  17. present — there
  18. swing — in golf
  19. rash — a series
  20. press — newspapers
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. spring — the season
  24. racket — for tennis

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