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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. content — the amount
  4. present — a gift
  5. press — newspapers
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. press — to push
  14. rest — a break
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bulb — for light
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. present — there
  20. press — a publisher
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. rest — what's left

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