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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. present — the time now
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. current — of water
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. current — happening now
  13. press — to push
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. press — a publisher
  20. saw — the tool
  21. current — electric
  22. saw — the tool
  23. press — newspapers
  24. present — there

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