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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. content — happy
  3. saw — the tool
  4. foot — a measure
  5. mug — to rob
  6. press — newspapers
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mate — a friend
  9. tear — to rip
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. content — the amount
  12. band — a ring
  13. press — to push
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. tear — from crying
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tear — from crying
  19. band — a music group
  20. mug — a face
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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