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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. can — to be able to
  7. press — to push
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. kid — child
  12. can — a tin
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. spell — a short time
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. can — a tin
  18. roll — a cake
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. roll — a list
  22. press — newspapers
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. kid — to tease

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