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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bat — the animal
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. spell — magic
  5. press — newspapers
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. spell — letters
  8. rule — a law
  9. content — happy
  10. date — the fruit
  11. spell — a short time
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. track — a path
  15. track — a song
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. rule — government
  22. press — to push
  23. content — the amount
  24. track — to keep track

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