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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: jam · game · squash · press · fine · last · stem · racket

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. press — to push
  5. last — to go on
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. game — a match
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stem — to come from
  12. squash — the sport
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. press — a publisher
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. game — wild animals
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. squash — to crush

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