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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. chip — for betting
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. press — to push
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mine — for digging
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. press — a publisher
  11. content — the amount
  12. face — part of the head
  13. scale — in music
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. chip — to eat
  17. face — to point toward
  18. content — happy
  19. scale — size or range
  20. press — newspapers
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. face — to confront

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