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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. press — to push
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. stand — to bear
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. present — there
  12. foot — a measure
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. band — a music group
  19. present — the time now
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. present — a gift
  24. stand — for spectators

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