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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. spell — letters
  3. board — to get on
  4. spell — magic
  5. tube — a container
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bat — the animal
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. press — a publisher
  11. spell — a short time
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. press — newspapers
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. press — to push
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wax — to grow
  20. content — happy
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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