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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · kid · toast · jam · squash · cell

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. press — newspapers
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cell — in biology
  12. press — to push
  13. toast — bread
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. cell — a phone
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. jam — to spread on bread

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