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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. content — the amount
  8. band — a music group
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bear — the animal
  13. row — to paddle
  14. band — a ring
  15. club — for golf
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bear — the animal
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. club — a group
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. press — newspapers

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