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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 · pound · chair · jam · mark · chip · firm · last

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. firm — a company
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. firm — steady
  7. chip — for betting
  8. last — finally
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. last — to go on
  13. pound — a weight
  14. chip — to eat
  15. last — final
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. firm — decided
  19. chair — a leader
  20. mark — a grade
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. mark — a trace
  24. press — a publisher

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