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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. drill — the tool
  7. press — a publisher
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. chip — to eat
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. press — to push
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. press — newspapers
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wax — to grow
  22. chip — for betting
  23. content — the amount
  24. wind — to turn a key

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