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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wake — a trail
  6. content — the amount
  7. press — newspapers
  8. chair — a leader
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mate — to breed
  12. press — a publisher
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. ground — crushed
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. press — to push
  19. content — happy
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mate — a friend
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mate — a partner

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