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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. key — the most important part
  4. clip — to cut
  5. content — happy
  6. press — newspapers
  7. present — the time now
  8. can — a tin
  9. suit — clothes
  10. press — to push
  11. present — a gift
  12. can — a tin
  13. press — a publisher
  14. last — final
  15. key — for a lock
  16. content — the amount
  17. clip — a video
  18. key — in music
  19. clip — for paper
  20. suit — in cards
  21. can — to be able to
  22. suit — to fit
  23. present — there
  24. last — finally

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