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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. club — for dancing
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. club — a group
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. press — newspapers
  11. content — happy
  12. press — a publisher
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. rule — government
  16. fork — in a road
  17. snap — to click
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. rule — a law
  20. content — the amount
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. club — for golf
  24. coach — a trainer

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