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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: pitcher · kick · bark · ruler · face · march · content · press

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. content — the amount
  7. face — to point toward
  8. kick — in football
  9. press — newspapers
  10. face — to confront
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. press — to push
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bark — to shout
  18. march — the month
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. content — happy

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