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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. press — a publisher
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. key — in music
  5. shower — to wash
  6. press — to push
  7. content — happy
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bound — tied together
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. rash — a series
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bound — certain
  15. press — newspapers
  16. game — a match
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bound — obliged
  19. shower — rain
  20. game — wild animals
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — the most important part
  23. content — the amount
  24. rash — hasty

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