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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. spring — the season
  4. press — to push
  5. wind — moving air
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. last — final
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. last — to go on
  10. content — happy
  11. wind — moving air
  12. last — finally
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. spring — of water
  16. snap — to click
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. content — the amount
  21. stand — to bear
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. spring — a coil

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