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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. content — the amount
  3. snap — to click
  4. charge — a price
  5. content — happy
  6. charge — electricity
  7. clip — a video
  8. suit — in cards
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. clip — for paper
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. charge — in control
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. suit — clothes
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — newspapers
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. suit — to fit
  19. press — to push
  20. bound — obliged
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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