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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. land — to come down
  3. key — in music
  4. press — to push
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. press — newspapers
  8. spring — a coil
  9. toast — bread
  10. press — a publisher
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. land — a country
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. content — happy
  15. spring — of water
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. land — ground
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. key — for a lock
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. spring — the season
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. fork — in a road
  24. key — the most important part

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