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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. content — happy
  3. spring — the season
  4. bound — certain
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. last — to go on
  7. press — to push
  8. spring — of water
  9. last — finally
  10. content — the amount
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. saw — the tool
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. press — a publisher
  16. last — final
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bound — obliged
  19. mark — a trace
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bound — tied together
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mark — a grade

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