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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 116 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — happy
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. file — a document
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. squash — the sport
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. press — newspapers
  14. file — a tool
  15. bore — to drill
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bass — low music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bass — the fish
  22. file — a line of people
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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