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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. kid — to tease
  3. swing — music
  4. press — to push
  5. mine — for digging
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. kid — child
  8. press — newspapers
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. content — the amount
  12. swing — to play on
  13. rule — government
  14. fall — to drop
  15. press — a publisher
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. rule — a law
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. fall — the season
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. deal — to handle
  23. swing — in golf
  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