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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: cell · press · game · board · last · fine · jam · fan

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. press — newspapers
  6. board — a committee
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. last — to go on
  13. cell — a phone
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. fine — all right
  16. last — final
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. board — to get on
  20. game — a match
  21. last — finally
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. cell — in biology

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