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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: key · swing · cold · hide · mate · bass · press · rock

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. rock — music
  3. press — to push
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bass — low music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — a stone
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. key — the most important part
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. swing — in golf
  17. mate — a partner
  18. swing — music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. press — a publisher
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — in music
  24. hide — animal skin

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