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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. face — to point toward
  4. press — newspapers
  5. cap — of ice
  6. land — ground
  7. rash — hasty
  8. land — to come down
  9. content — happy
  10. face — part of the head
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. face — to confront
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. land — a country
  19. press — to push
  20. content — the amount
  21. rash — a series
  22. track — to keep track
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. track — a path

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