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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cap — a hat
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cap — a lid
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. press — to push
  12. wound — an injury
  13. press — a publisher
  14. content — happy
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cap — of ice
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. season — of the year
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lie — to recline
  22. press — newspapers
  23. content — the amount
  24. season — in sport

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