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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: fall · press · swing · sharp · date · fine · clip · race

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. press — newspapers
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fall — the season
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. press — to push
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. fine — all right
  12. swing — to play on
  13. press — a publisher
  14. race — the arms race
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. swing — music
  18. race — a contest
  19. fine — high quality
  20. race — humankind
  21. fall — to drop
  22. clip — to cut
  23. date — the fruit
  24. sharp — clever

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