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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. content — the amount
  3. game — wild animals
  4. content — happy
  5. club — a group
  6. press — to push
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — to rob
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. press — newspapers
  14. club — for golf
  15. wake — a trail
  16. club — for dancing
  17. mug — a face
  18. fine — all right
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. fine — high quality
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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