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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. clip — to cut
  3. press — to push
  4. press — newspapers
  5. land — a country
  6. tear — from crying
  7. content — the amount
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. land — ground
  10. tear — to rip
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. clip — for paper
  15. press — a publisher
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cue — for pool
  19. land — to come down
  20. wake — a trail
  21. clip — a video
  22. cue — a signal
  23. content — happy
  24. tear — from crying

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