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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. drill — the tool
  3. press — to push
  4. land — to come down
  5. drill — a practice
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. court — of a king
  8. land — a country
  9. mug — to rob
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. court — for sport
  12. dip — to sink
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. content — the amount
  16. land — ground
  17. drill — army training
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — a cup
  20. content — happy
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. court — of law
  24. dip — to dunk

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