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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: march · straw · rule · staff · pitch · key · jam · press

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. staff — a stick
  4. press — to push
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. rule — a law
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. staff — employees
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. key — in music
  13. staff — employees
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. march — the month
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. rule — government
  20. pitch — completely
  21. press — a publisher
  22. key — the most important part
  23. press — newspapers
  24. key — for a lock

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