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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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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: snap · bear · mate · nail · foot · bass · press · swing

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. mate — a friend
  3. snap — to click
  4. bass — low music
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. swing — in golf
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. mate — a partner
  10. press — to push
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. swing — music
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bass — the fish
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. mate — to breed
  24. press — newspapers

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