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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · kid · arm · content · mine · press · present · bark

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bark — to shout
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. press — to push
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. kid — child
  12. content — the amount
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. present — a gift
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. kid — to tease
  18. mine — for digging
  19. present — the time now
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. press — a publisher
  23. present — there
  24. racket — for tennis

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