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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. last — final
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — in football
  5. game — a match
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. press — to push
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. content — the amount
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. content — happy
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. game — wild animals
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. press — a publisher

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