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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. press — to push
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lie — to recline
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. game — a match
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. deal — to handle
  11. content — the amount
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. capital — a city
  14. content — happy
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. capital — money
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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