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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: march · court · nail · jam · press · pop · staff · hand

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. march — music
  3. press — newspapers
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. hand — in cards
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. pop — to visit
  8. press — a publisher
  9. hand — help
  10. staff — employees
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. court — for sport
  13. pop — music
  14. court — of a king
  15. staff — a stick
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. court — of law
  18. march — the month
  19. pop — soda
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. press — to push
  24. march — the month

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