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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. can — a tin
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. content — the amount
  5. land — to come down
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. press — to push
  8. mug — to rob
  9. can — a tin
  10. land — a country
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mug — a face
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. press — newspapers
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. prune — to trim
  18. content — happy
  19. prune — to trim
  20. game — a match
  21. land — ground
  22. mug — a cup
  23. can — to be able to
  24. content — videos and posts

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