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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. roll — a cake
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. rule — government
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. rule — a law
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. press — to push
  9. court — of law
  10. pound — a weight
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. court — of a king
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. press — newspapers
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. court — for sport
  21. roll — a list
  22. dip — to sink
  23. press — a publisher
  24. row — a quarrel

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