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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. press — newspapers
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. net — for catching
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rule — government
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. cell — a phone
  11. content — the amount
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wax — to grow
  16. press — to push
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. net — in sport
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. content — happy
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. net — after costs

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