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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bank — for money
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pass — a permit
  6. ball — a dance
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. race — humankind
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. perch — the fish
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. content — the amount
  18. bank — for money
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. ball — a great time
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. press — a publisher
  23. race — a contest
  24. bank — of a river

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