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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. press — to push
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. content — the amount
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. rule — government
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. press — a publisher
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — completely
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. content — happy
  19. rock — a stone
  20. clip — a video
  21. press — newspapers
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rule — a law

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