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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 ________________ the button?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  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. press — to push
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. press — a publisher
  5. field — for sport
  6. bear — the animal
  7. content — happy
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. object — an aim
  13. content — the amount
  14. stock — goods
  15. field — a subject
  16. object — to protest
  17. field — farmland
  18. stock — shares
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mark — a trace
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. object — a thing
  23. ball — a dance
  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