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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. clip — to cut
  3. spell — magic
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. land — ground
  6. press — to push
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. dip — to sink
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. clip — a video
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. press — newspapers
  15. spell — letters
  16. land — a country
  17. clip — for paper
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. land — to come down
  21. spell — a short time
  22. content — happy
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. press — a publisher

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