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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. plane — a tool
  4. content — the amount
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. rush — hurry
  7. press — to push
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bore — to drill
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. content — happy
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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