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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. last — final
  4. squash — to crush
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. charge — a price
  7. press — newspapers
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. squash — the sport
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. content — happy
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. press — a publisher
  15. charge — electricity
  16. last — finally
  17. press — to push
  18. charge — in control
  19. last — to go on
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. row — to paddle
  23. content — the amount
  24. row — a line

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