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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. current — happening now
  3. sharp — clever
  4. press — a publisher
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. content — the amount
  8. press — newspapers
  9. capital — money
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pop — music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. press — to push
  17. current — electric
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pop — to visit
  20. current — of water
  21. capital — a city
  22. content — happy
  23. pop — soda
  24. snap — to click

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