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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. content — happy
  4. charge — in control
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bark — to shout
  8. press — newspapers
  9. cue — for pool
  10. mine — for digging
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. charge — a price
  15. content — the amount
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. press — a publisher
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. cue — a signal
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. charge — electricity

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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