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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. press — to push
  3. deal — to handle
  4. content — happy
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. present — a gift
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. present — the time now
  13. press — a publisher
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bark — to shout
  16. plane — a tool
  17. game — wild animals
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. press — newspapers
  20. game — a match
  21. content — the amount
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. deal — a big deal

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