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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. pitch — completely
  3. press — to push
  4. content — the amount
  5. press — a publisher
  6. spell — magic
  7. current — electric
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. spell — letters
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. rock — a stone
  14. tube — a container
  15. current — happening now
  16. press — newspapers
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. spell — a short time
  19. tube — the underground
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. rash — a series
  23. current — of water
  24. rash — hasty

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