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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. dip — to sink
  4. file — a line of people
  5. lie — to recline
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. row — a line
  9. file — a document
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. file — a tool
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. press — to push
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. press — newspapers
  19. content — the amount
  20. row — to paddle
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. hand — help
  23. press — a publisher
  24. content — happy

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