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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. field — farmland
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — to push
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. present — a gift
  12. row — to paddle
  13. present — the time now
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. toast — bread
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. present — there
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. content — happy
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. row — a line

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