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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. can — a tin
  3. press — newspapers
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. net — after costs
  6. court — of law
  7. content — the amount
  8. net — in sport
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. court — for sport
  12. bound — obliged
  13. press — to push
  14. content — happy
  15. court — of a king
  16. can — to be able to
  17. net — for catching
  18. can — a tin

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