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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: fine · pitcher · press · firm · cold · squash · pop · date

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cold — an illness
  4. fine — all right
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. press — newspapers
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pop — soda
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. squash — to crush
  12. firm — steady
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. squash — the sport
  15. press — a publisher
  16. cold — not warm
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. fine — high quality
  19. press — to push
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — a company
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — music
  24. cold — the Cold War

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