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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: pitcher · pass · press · jam · chest · game · band · tear

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. game — a match
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. tear — from crying
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. chest — of your body
  12. tear — to rip
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. press — newspapers
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. press — a publisher
  18. chest — of your body
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. pass — a permit
  21. game — wild animals
  22. chest — a box
  23. press — to push
  24. game — a kind of play

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