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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pop — music
  3. chest — a box
  4. pop — soda
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mate — to breed
  7. chest — of your body
  8. content — happy
  9. press — a publisher
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pop — to visit
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. board — a committee
  17. track — to keep track
  18. board — to get on
  19. date — the fruit
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. track — a path
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. track — a song

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