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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: press · craft · cue · ground · jam · object · season · key

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. press — a publisher
  4. season — of the year
  5. object — a thing
  6. craft — boats
  7. ground — a position
  8. key — the most important part
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — for pool
  11. season — in sport
  12. ground — crushed
  13. craft — a skill
  14. cue — a signal
  15. object — to protest
  16. ground — the earth
  17. object — an aim
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. key — in music
  20. press — newspapers
  21. key — for a lock
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. jam — a tight spot

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