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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 · roll · game · chest · press · fork · safe · stick

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. chest — a box
  4. game — a match
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. press — a publisher
  7. roll — a cake
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. game — wild animals
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. chest — of your body
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a list
  17. fork — in a road
  18. press — to push
  19. press — newspapers
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. jam — in traffic

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