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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 124 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. root — the cause
  3. toast — bread
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. land — to come down
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. press — a publisher
  11. land — a country
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. content — the amount
  18. land — ground
  19. root — of a plant
  20. press — newspapers
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. root — of a word
  23. kick — in football
  24. press — to push

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