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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 120 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — steady
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. prune — to trim
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. content — happy
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. firm — a company
  13. mug — to rob
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. content — the amount
  16. press — to push
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. mug — a cup
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mug — a face
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. coach — a trainer

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