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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 116 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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. content — happy
  3. press — a publisher
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. track — a song
  6. press — newspapers
  7. pit — a hole
  8. last — finally
  9. content — the amount
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. track — a path
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. track — to keep track
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — there
  17. last — to go on
  18. mark — a trace
  19. press — to push
  20. mark — a grade
  21. last — final
  22. plane — a tool
  23. present — the time now
  24. pit — in a race

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