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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. present — a gift
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. chest — of your body
  7. present — there
  8. content — the amount
  9. object — an aim
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mark — a grade
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. content — happy
  15. mark — a trace
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. object — a thing
  19. press — to push
  20. object — to protest
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. present — the time now
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cap — a lid

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