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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. foot — a measure
  3. content — the amount
  4. press — to push
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. row — a line
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. spring — of water
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. press — a publisher
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. spring — the season
  16. bulb — for light
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. date — the fruit
  21. press — newspapers
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lie — to recline
  24. row — to paddle

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