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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.

Make a worksheet

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: squash · jam · bat · racket · key · press · plane · band

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. band — a music group
  3. key — for a lock
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. key — the most important part
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bat — the animal
  11. plane — a tool
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. press — a publisher
  15. key — in music
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. squash — the sport
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. squash — to crush
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. band — a ring
  24. press — newspapers

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