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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. press — newspapers
  4. cold — an illness
  5. press — a publisher
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. cold — not warm
  9. swing — music
  10. pop — music
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. press — to push
  16. pop — to visit
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pop — soda
  23. swing — in golf
  24. cap — of ice

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