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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. press — a publisher
  3. current — happening now
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. press — to push
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. current — electric
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. press — newspapers
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. current — of water
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. lean — to bend
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. chair — a leader
  20. content — happy
  21. lean — thin
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. lean — to rest against

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