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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. press — a publisher
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. drill — army training
  7. bound — certain
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. press — to push
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bound — tied together
  17. press — newspapers
  18. can — a tin
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stand — to bear
  21. can — to be able to
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. can — a tin

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