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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. prune — to trim
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. press — to push
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. last — finally
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. press — a publisher
  13. season — of the year
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. content — happy
  16. season — in sport
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. last — final
  19. content — the amount
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. press — newspapers
  23. prune — to trim
  24. last — to go on

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