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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. content — happy
  3. cap — a hat
  4. squash — to crush
  5. court — of a king
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. court — of law
  8. content — the amount
  9. cap — of ice
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. press — newspapers
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wake — a trail
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. court — for sport
  20. cap — a lid
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wake — before a funeral

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