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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. press — to push
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. march — the month
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wind — moving air
  13. content — happy
  14. press — newspapers
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. content — the amount
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. march — music
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. press — a publisher

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