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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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Word bank
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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: field · toast · present · press · bulb · rush · kid · content

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. press — newspapers
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. present — a gift
  5. kid — to tease
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. field — a subject
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. present — there
  12. content — happy
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. field — farmland
  15. kid — child
  16. toast — bread
  17. field — for sport
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. present — the time now
  20. press — a publisher
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. content — the amount
  24. press — to push

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