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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.

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: race · can · land · swing · press · fine · cold · ball

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. fine — all right
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a dance
  5. can — a tin
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. swing — music
  10. fine — high quality
  11. can — a tin
  12. land — ground
  13. swing — to play on
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. race — a contest
  17. cold — an illness
  18. race — humankind
  19. swing — in golf
  20. press — to push
  21. race — the arms race
  22. ball — a great time
  23. land — a country
  24. can — to be able to

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