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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: tear · press · ball · squash · jam · date · kid · can

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. date — the fruit
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. tear — to rip
  7. can — to be able to
  8. tear — from crying
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. press — newspapers
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. ball — a great time
  14. squash — the sport
  15. can — a tin
  16. press — to push
  17. squash — to crush
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. kid — to tease
  21. can — a tin
  22. kid — child
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. jam — in traffic

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