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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: march · squash · press · bay · club · game · roll · swing

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. club — a group
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. swing — to play on
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. game — a match
  8. press — newspapers
  9. swing — music
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. march — the month
  13. press — to push
  14. march — music
  15. club — for dancing
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. roll — a list
  18. march — the month
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. press — a publisher
  22. roll — a cake
  23. swing — in golf
  24. club — for golf

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