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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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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 · roll · press · pit · firm · row · march · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. march — the month
  3. swing — in golf
  4. press — newspapers
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. firm — a company
  7. swing — music
  8. row — a line
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. march — the month
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — decided
  15. press — to push
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. roll — a list
  19. swing — to play on
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. march — music

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