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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. press — a publisher
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. press — newspapers
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bound — tied together
  12. press — to push
  13. tube — a container
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bound — obliged
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bound — certain
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cap — a lid
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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