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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 get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. march — the month
  3. press — newspapers
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. march — music
  9. spring — a coil
  10. hand — in cards
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. press — a publisher
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. present — the time now
  16. dip — to sink
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — happy
  19. present — there
  20. hand — help
  21. content — the amount
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. march — the month
  24. press — to push

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