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

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pound — a weight
  3. chair — a leader
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. press — newspapers
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. content — happy
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. root — the cause
  14. roll — a list
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. press — to push
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. roll — a cake
  19. root — of a word
  20. date — the fruit
  21. root — of a plant
  22. rush — hurry
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. chair — to sit on

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