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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. press — a publisher
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. saw — the tool
  7. content — happy
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. press — newspapers
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bat — the animal
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a skill
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. content — the amount
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — finally
  22. press — to push
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. last — final

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