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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. content — the amount
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bore — to tire
  6. track — to keep track
  7. swing — music
  8. board — to get on
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. board — a committee
  14. content — happy
  15. track — a song
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. track — a path
  19. swing — to play on
  20. press — newspapers
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. hand — help
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bore — to drill

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