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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bound — certain
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. press — to push
  6. net — for catching
  7. present — a gift
  8. press — newspapers
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. content — happy
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pass — a permit
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bound — obliged
  15. content — the amount
  16. present — the time now
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bound — tied together
  19. press — a publisher
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. present — there
  22. mark — a grade
  23. net — after costs
  24. mark — a trace

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