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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cap — a hat
  5. can — to be able to
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — to drill
  11. content — the amount
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. press — a publisher
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. can — a tin
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. press — newspapers
  19. cap — of ice
  20. can — a tin
  21. cap — a lid
  22. press — to push
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bay — a horse colour

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