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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. content — happy
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. firm — steady
  5. mate — a friend
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. firm — a company
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. capital — money
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mate — a partner
  16. press — a publisher
  17. spell — letters
  18. mate — to breed
  19. content — the amount
  20. spell — magic
  21. press — to push
  22. firm — decided
  23. capital — a city
  24. pound — to hit hard

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