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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. object — an aim
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wound — an injury
  5. key — the most important part
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wound — an injury
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. press — a publisher
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. press — to push
  14. object — to protest
  15. key — for a lock
  16. content — the amount
  17. tube — a container
  18. object — a thing
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. press — newspapers
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. key — in music
  23. content — happy
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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