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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. content — happy
  4. press — newspapers
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. swing — in golf
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. swing — music
  11. bat — the animal
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. press — to push
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. dip — to sink
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. kick — in football
  23. date — the fruit
  24. content — the amount

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