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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: pit · track · jam · degree · can · press · stick · bound

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. can — a tin
  3. press — to push
  4. pit — in a race
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. pit — a hole
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bound — tied together
  12. track — a song
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. can — a tin
  15. bound — certain
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. track — a path
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bound — obliged
  21. press — newspapers
  22. can — to be able to
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. track — to keep track

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