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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. press — newspapers
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. press — a publisher
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pop — music
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pop — soda
  13. mate — a friend
  14. press — to push
  15. spring — of water
  16. content — the amount
  17. spring — the season
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. fork — in a road
  20. spring — a coil
  21. mate — a partner
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mate — to breed

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