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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. face — part of the head
  3. last — to go on
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. press — a publisher
  6. mine — for digging
  7. press — to push
  8. mate — a friend
  9. press — newspapers
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. last — final
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. drill — army training
  14. mate — to breed
  15. last — finally
  16. content — the amount
  17. mate — a partner
  18. face — to point toward
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. face — to confront
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. content — happy

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