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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. content — the amount
  5. lean — thin
  6. key — for a lock
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. dip — to sink
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — the arms race
  13. key — the most important part
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. key — in music
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. press — a publisher
  19. race — a contest
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — to bend
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. press — newspapers
  24. content — happy

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