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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 116 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. content — the amount
  5. cold — an illness
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — happy
  11. plane — a tool
  12. press — to push
  13. squash — to crush
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. press — newspapers
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. press — a publisher
  22. squash — the sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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