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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pitch — completely
  3. land — to come down
  4. press — to push
  5. content — happy
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. land — a country
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. kick — in football
  13. press — a publisher
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. land — ground
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. current — electric
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. current — happening now
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. press — newspapers
  24. current — of water

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