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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: content · date · band · saw · racket · fork · ball · press

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. ball — a great time
  7. band — a music group
  8. content — the amount
  9. saw — the tool
  10. press — a publisher
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. fork — in a road
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. press — newspapers
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. saw — the tool
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. band — a ring
  22. date — the fruit
  23. press — to push
  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