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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chest — of your body
  4. press — to push
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. chest — a box
  7. rest — what's left
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. tear — from crying
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. press — newspapers
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. ground — a position
  19. press — a publisher
  20. content — the amount
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rest — a break
  23. can — a tin
  24. content — happy

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