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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. fall — to drop
  3. content — happy
  4. tear — from crying
  5. net — for catching
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. press — a publisher
  8. content — the amount
  9. tear — to rip
  10. craft — a skill
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lean — to bend
  13. net — after costs
  14. fall — the season
  15. craft — boats
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — thin
  18. key — the most important part
  19. net — in sport
  20. tear — from crying
  21. press — to push
  22. key — in music
  23. press — newspapers
  24. key — for a lock

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