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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 120 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: court · wave · press · swing · straw · foot · fine · nail

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. court — of law
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. press — newspapers
  9. swing — in golf
  10. court — of a king
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. swing — music
  14. fine — all right
  15. court — for sport
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. foot — a measure
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — to push
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. fine — high quality

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