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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 116 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — newspapers
  3. net — for catching
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bound — tied together
  9. net — in sport
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. net — after costs
  13. bound — certain
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. content — happy
  16. court — of law
  17. prune — to trim
  18. content — the amount
  19. can — a tin
  20. press — to push
  21. prune — to trim
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bound — obliged
  24. can — a tin

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