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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. march — the month
  3. ball — a dance
  4. march — the month
  5. press — to push
  6. cell — a phone
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. march — music
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. press — newspapers
  12. staff — employees
  13. press — a publisher
  14. ground — crushed
  15. staff — a stick
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ball — a great time
  18. date — the fruit
  19. cell — in biology
  20. staff — employees
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ground — a position

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