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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bank — for money
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bank — of a river
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. press — to push
  8. bank — for money
  9. chest — of your body
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — of water
  12. stand — to bear
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. press — a publisher
  16. chest — a box
  17. last — final
  18. current — electric
  19. chest — of your body
  20. press — newspapers
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. jam — a tight spot

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