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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 120 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. dip — to sink
  4. track — a path
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. press — to push
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pit — a hole
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lean — to bend
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. perch — the fish
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. track — a song
  21. pit — in a race
  22. lean — thin
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. dip — to dunk

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