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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: press · snap · stock · roll · leaves · swing · mate · race

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. press — a publisher
  4. snap — to click
  5. race — humankind
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. roll — a cake
  9. swing — in golf
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. race — the arms race
  13. stock — goods
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. swing — to play on
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stock — shares
  21. race — a contest
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. swing — music
  24. leaves — lets stay

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