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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fall — to drop
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. tear — from crying
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a dance
  7. fall — the season
  8. press — a publisher
  9. tear — from crying
  10. content — happy
  11. press — to push
  12. staff — employees
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. board — to get on
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. press — newspapers
  18. board — a committee
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. tear — to rip
  22. fall — to drop
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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