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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. sharp — clever
  6. season — in sport
  7. press — newspapers
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. press — to push
  15. squash — the sport
  16. press — a publisher
  17. pass — a permit
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — not warm
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. season — of the year

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