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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: swing · wake · court · press · nail · ruler · fall · march

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. swing — to play on
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fall — to drop
  8. swing — in golf
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. fall — to drop
  11. press — newspapers
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. court — of law
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. swing — music
  21. march — the month
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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