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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 · game · jam · ball · rule · leaves · last · straw

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. last — finally
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rule — a law
  9. game — wild animals
  10. press — to push
  11. last — to go on
  12. game — a match
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. press — newspapers
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. rule — government
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. ball — a great time
  20. press — a publisher
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. last — final

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