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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. press — newspapers
  3. court — of a king
  4. last — finally
  5. content — happy
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. chest — a box
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. last — to go on
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. chest — of your body
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. net — for catching
  16. chest — of your body
  17. prune — to trim
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — in sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. last — final

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