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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. mate — to breed
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lie — to recline
  5. press — newspapers
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. mate — a partner
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. content — happy
  13. press — to push
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. content — the amount
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. date — the fruit
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mate — a friend
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lie — an untruth

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