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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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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: cell · track · kid · press · club · roll · jam · foot

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cell — a phone
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. cell — in biology
  9. press — a publisher
  10. track — to keep track
  11. roll — a list
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. track — a song
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. kid — child
  22. roll — a cake
  23. track — a path
  24. kid — to tease

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