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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. press — to push
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. cold — an illness
  7. kick — in football
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. cold — not warm
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — child
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. club — a group
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. track — to keep track
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. pitch — completely
  23. track — a path
  24. cold — the Cold War

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