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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. content — the amount
  4. rest — a break
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. snap — to click
  8. net — after costs
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. press — newspapers
  11. net — in sport
  12. bat — the animal
  13. rush — hurry
  14. press — to push
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rest — what's left
  21. content — happy
  22. rest — what's left
  23. net — for catching
  24. bat — in an idiom

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