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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mate — to breed
  3. staff — employees
  4. chest — a box
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. staff — a stick
  7. scale — size or range
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. chest — of your body
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. spell — letters
  13. content — happy
  14. lean — to bend
  15. press — a publisher
  16. scale — in music
  17. content — the amount
  18. mate — a friend
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spell — a short time
  21. staff — employees
  22. press — to push
  23. mate — a partner
  24. press — newspapers

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