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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. press — to push
  11. march — music
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. content — happy
  15. march — the month
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bear — the animal
  19. content — the amount
  20. foot — a measure
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. press — newspapers
  24. ball — a round shape

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