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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. lie — to recline
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. press — to push
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. firm — decided
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cap — a hat
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. firm — a company
  12. content — the amount
  13. firm — steady
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cap — a lid
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. spell — letters
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cap — of ice
  21. press — a publisher
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. press — newspapers
  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