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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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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 · chair · jam · snap · fan · bear · date · chest

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. date — the fruit
  4. chest — a box
  5. bear — the animal
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. press — to push
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bear — the animal
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. press — newspapers
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. snap — to click
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chair — a leader
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. press — a publisher

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