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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. swing — music
  3. drill — army training
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. press — to push
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. swing — to play on
  9. drill — a practice
  10. content — the amount
  11. net — after costs
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. swing — in golf
  14. object — an aim
  15. net — in sport
  16. object — to protest
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — a face
  19. drill — the tool
  20. object — a thing
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. content — happy
  24. mug — to rob

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