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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. content — happy
  3. swing — to play on
  4. content — the amount
  5. press — to push
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. swing — music
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. swing — in golf
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — in music
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bound — tied together
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. tear — from crying
  19. foot — a measure
  20. scale — size or range
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. tear — from crying
  23. press — a publisher
  24. foot — part of the body

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