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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 120 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. press — a publisher
  3. content — happy
  4. press — to push
  5. press — newspapers
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. wound — an injury
  8. object — to protest
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. content — the amount
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wake — a trail
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. lie — to recline
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. object — a thing

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