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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 · kid · roll · trunk · swing · charge · racket · spell

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. swing — music
  3. spell — a short time
  4. roll — a cake
  5. swing — in golf
  6. kid — to tease
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. press — to push
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. roll — a list
  11. kid — child
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. charge — electricity
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. charge — in control
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. spell — letters
  20. charge — a price
  21. spell — magic
  22. swing — to play on
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. roll — on a roll

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