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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 120 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. court — of a king
  3. stand — to bear
  4. content — happy
  5. press — a publisher
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. hand — help
  9. face — to point toward
  10. court — for sport
  11. press — to push
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. press — newspapers
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. lie — to recline
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. court — of law

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