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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: court · jam · face · sharp · bear · pitch · roll · press

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. sharp — clever
  3. court — of a king
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. court — of law
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. court — for sport
  10. bear — the animal
  11. face — to confront
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pitch — completely
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bear — the animal
  17. press — a publisher
  18. face — to point toward
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. press — to push
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. roll — a cake
  23. face — part of the head
  24. press — newspapers

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