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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. press — a publisher
  3. saw — the tool
  4. content — happy
  5. game — wild animals
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. can — a tin
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. content — the amount
  13. clip — to cut
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. clip — a video
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. clip — for paper
  18. saw — the tool
  19. press — newspapers
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. can — a tin
  22. press — to push
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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