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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. firm — decided
  6. snap — to click
  7. ground — the earth
  8. fall — to drop
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. press — a publisher
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. ground — a position
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. firm — a company
  16. press — newspapers
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. press — to push
  19. fall — to drop
  20. deal — to handle
  21. mine — for digging
  22. firm — steady
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mine — belonging to me

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