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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. can — a tin
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. field — for sport
  13. press — newspapers
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. content — happy
  18. field — a subject
  19. content — the amount
  20. field — farmland
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pit — in a race
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. press — to push

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