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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: dip · rock · snap · hand · bear · present · court · press

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. press — to push
  3. hand — help
  4. court — of law
  5. present — a gift
  6. rock — a stone
  7. present — the time now
  8. press — a publisher
  9. court — of a king
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. court — for sport
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. rock — music
  15. bear — the animal
  16. hand — in cards
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. dip — to sink
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bear — the animal
  23. snap — to click
  24. present — there

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