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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: tube · jam · content · stand · press · cold · march · bowl

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. press — to push
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. march — the month
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. cold — an illness
  11. march — the month
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. press — newspapers
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. press — a publisher
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — the underground
  19. march — music
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. cold — not warm

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