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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 120 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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. press — newspapers
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. press — a publisher
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. clip — a video
  13. dip — to sink
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. clip — to cut
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. press — to push
  20. bark — to shout
  21. content — the amount
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. hand — in cards

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