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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. suit — in cards
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. pitch — completely
  12. suit — clothes
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — low music
  16. press — newspapers
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bass — the fish
  22. suit — to fit
  23. snap — to click
  24. squash — to crush

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