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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: last · game · trunk · press · pound · ruler · content · jam

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. last — final
  4. press — newspapers
  5. pound — a weight
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. last — finally
  8. press — to push
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. last — to go on
  11. press — a publisher
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. content — happy
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. game — a match
  24. content — the amount

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