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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. tear — from crying
  3. drill — army training
  4. last — final
  5. content — happy
  6. mate — a partner
  7. last — to go on
  8. drill — a practice
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mate — to breed
  11. drill — the tool
  12. press — to push
  13. mate — a friend
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mark — a trace
  16. content — the amount
  17. mark — a grade
  18. net — in sport
  19. press — newspapers
  20. tear — from crying
  21. net — after costs
  22. last — finally
  23. tear — to rip
  24. net — for catching

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