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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. snap — to click
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. content — happy
  9. row — a line
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stand — to bear
  13. track — to keep track
  14. press — a publisher
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. row — to paddle
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. track — a path
  21. game — a match
  22. press — to push
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. track — a song

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