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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. stock — shares
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. present — there
  8. file — a tool
  9. wax — to grow
  10. file — a line of people
  11. object — a thing
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. race — a contest
  14. present — the time now
  15. race — humankind
  16. file — a document
  17. stock — goods
  18. race — the arms race
  19. press — to push
  20. content — happy
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — an aim
  23. present — a gift
  24. content — the amount

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