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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. track — a song
  5. press — newspapers
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. court — for sport
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. content — the amount
  14. court — of law
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. content — happy
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. court — of a king
  20. snap — to click
  21. bark — to shout
  22. track — a path
  23. press — to push
  24. jam — a tight spot

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