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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. saw — the tool
  3. content — happy
  4. press — to push
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. content — the amount
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. tear — from crying
  10. saw — the tool
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wind — moving air
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mark — a grade
  15. press — a publisher
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. swing — in golf
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. press — newspapers
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mark — a trace
  24. tear — from crying

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