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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. kick — in football
  5. content — the amount
  6. bulb — for light
  7. content — happy
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. press — to push
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. rush — hurry
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. spell — a short time
  20. press — newspapers
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. root — the cause
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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