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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: jam · rush · bound · court · press · safe · ground · march

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bound — obliged
  6. press — a publisher
  7. court — for sport
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. court — of a king
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bound — certain
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. court — of law
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. press — newspapers
  19. ground — the earth
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. march — the month
  22. rush — hurry
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bound — tied together

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