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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 116 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 · bay · mug · swing · drill · wind · chair · pitch

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. swing — music
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. mug — a face
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mug — to rob
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. pitch — completely
  11. wind — moving air
  12. press — to push
  13. drill — army training
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. drill — the tool
  20. swing — in golf
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. drill — a practice

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