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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pop — to visit
  3. lie — to recline
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pop — soda
  6. content — the amount
  7. stock — goods
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. press — to push
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pop — music
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. press — newspapers
  22. content — happy
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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