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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. fork — in a road
  3. press — to push
  4. content — the amount
  5. field — a subject
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. mug — a face
  10. content — happy
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. press — a publisher
  13. object — to protest
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. object — an aim
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. mug — a cup
  20. object — a thing
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. net — for catching
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mug — to rob

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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