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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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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 · swing · rule · cold · mark · club · toast · shower

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. shower — rain
  3. swing — music
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cold — not warm
  6. press — a publisher
  7. swing — in golf
  8. club — a group
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. toast — bread
  11. press — newspapers
  12. rule — government
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. rule — a law
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cold — an illness
  18. swing — to play on
  19. mark — a grade
  20. press — to push
  21. shower — to wash
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. toast — the most admired

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