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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: bat · fork · mine · content · sharp · press · mug · roll

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. press — newspapers
  5. roll — a cake
  6. press — a publisher
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bat — the animal
  14. content — happy
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. roll — a list
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. mine — for digging
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. press — to push
  22. mug — a cup
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bat — in an idiom

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