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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: sharp · rush · press · jam · saw · snap · kid · pitcher

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. snap — to click
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. saw — the tool
  11. kid — child
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. rush — hurry
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. press — newspapers
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. saw — the tool
  22. kid — to tease
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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