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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. present — a gift
  3. roll — a list
  4. kick — in football
  5. charge — in control
  6. bear — the animal
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bear — the animal
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. content — the amount
  11. charge — a price
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. charge — electricity
  15. rash — hasty
  16. present — there
  17. press — to push
  18. present — the time now
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. roll — a cake
  22. press — a publisher
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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