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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. season — in sport
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. season — of the year
  5. swing — in golf
  6. rule — a law
  7. present — there
  8. press — newspapers
  9. rule — government
  10. content — the amount
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. last — finally
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. present — a gift
  16. swing — music
  17. press — a publisher
  18. last — final
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. present — the time now
  22. press — to push
  23. swing — to play on
  24. content — happy

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