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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. tear — from crying
  3. content — happy
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wound — an injury
  6. key — the most important part
  7. press — to push
  8. key — in music
  9. pit — in a race
  10. press — newspapers
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pit — a hole
  15. tear — from crying
  16. press — a publisher
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. content — the amount
  21. key — for a lock
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. mug — a face
  24. content — videos and posts

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