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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. press — newspapers
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. press — to push
  5. mate — a partner
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. board — to get on
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — bread
  12. press — a publisher
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. board — a committee
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. squash — to crush
  17. mate — a friend
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. content — the amount
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. mate — to breed

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