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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. press — to push
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. press — a publisher
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. lie — to recline
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. press — newspapers
  13. face — to confront
  14. bass — low music
  15. snap — to click
  16. face — part of the head
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. face — to point toward
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — happy
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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