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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. toast — bread
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. band — a ring
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pass — a permit
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. content — happy
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. press — a publisher
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to click
  19. content — the amount
  20. branch — a division
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. press — newspapers
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. cabinet — ministers

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