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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 · jam · fan · safe · mark · press · club · tube

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tube — a container
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — for golf
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. tube — the underground
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mark — a trace
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. press — newspapers
  24. club — a group

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