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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 120 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: hide · fine · press · court · cabinet · pit · swing · present

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. swing — in golf
  6. press — to push
  7. fine — high quality
  8. court — for sport
  9. present — a gift
  10. pit — a hole
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. court — of a king
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pit — in a race
  16. press — a publisher
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. present — the time now
  19. press — newspapers
  20. fine — all right
  21. swing — music
  22. present — there
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. court — of law

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