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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. capital — a city
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. club — for golf
  11. cold — an illness
  12. press — newspapers
  13. shower — to wash
  14. content — happy
  15. lie — to recline
  16. club — a group
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cold — not warm
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. press — a publisher
  21. club — for dancing
  22. shower — rain
  23. capital — money
  24. ruler — a monarch

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