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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 120 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. band — a music group
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. track — to keep track
  7. press — to push
  8. track — a path
  9. pop — to visit
  10. band — a ring
  11. content — happy
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — soda
  14. board — a committee
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. kid — to tease
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. kid — child
  22. track — a song
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. board — to get on

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