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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · drill · file · chest · jam · game · object · club

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. press — to push
  3. club — a group
  4. drill — a practice
  5. game — a match
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. club — for golf
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. press — newspapers
  10. game — wild animals
  11. chest — of your body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. chest — a box
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. drill — army training
  19. object — to protest
  20. file — a document
  21. press — a publisher
  22. object — an aim
  23. chest — of your body
  24. club — for dancing

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