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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: swing · press · hand · object · rush · key · dip · arm

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. key — the most important part
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. object — an aim
  8. press — newspapers
  9. swing — music
  10. rush — hurry
  11. press — a publisher
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. hand — in cards
  14. dip — to sink
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. object — to protest
  17. swing — to play on
  18. press — to push
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. key — in music
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. key — for a lock
  23. swing — in golf
  24. object — a thing

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