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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. press — newspapers
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wake — a trail
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. content — the amount
  14. cue — a hint
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. cue — for pool
  21. perch — the fish
  22. cue — a signal
  23. game — a match
  24. lash — to lash out

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