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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. content — happy
  4. press — to push
  5. rush — hurry
  6. content — the amount
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. march — the month
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. chair — a leader
  14. march — the month
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. press — newspapers
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to sink
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. press — a publisher
  22. march — music
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. dip — to dunk

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