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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. row — a line
  4. press — a publisher
  5. row — to paddle
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. file — a tool
  8. pop — soda
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. press — newspapers
  11. squash — the sport
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. pop — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. file — a document
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. squash — to crush
  19. press — to push
  20. file — a line of people
  21. plane — a tool
  22. rock — a stone
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rock — music

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