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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: press · pitch · jam · foot · capital · cue · chair · branch

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. chair — a leader
  3. press — newspapers
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. capital — a city
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. cue — a hint
  8. foot — a measure
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. pitch — completely
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. branch — a division
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. press — to push
  21. capital — money
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. press — a publisher
  24. cue — a signal

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