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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. press — newspapers
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. content — happy
  6. bank — for money
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bank — of a river
  11. root — of a word
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. press — a publisher
  16. game — a match
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. root — the cause
  19. press — to push
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bank — for money
  23. content — the amount
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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