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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. rest — a break
  5. face — to confront
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — happy
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a list
  10. press — newspapers
  11. face — to point toward
  12. roll — a cake
  13. chair — a leader
  14. press — to push
  15. face — part of the head
  16. content — the amount
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rest — what's left
  19. press — a publisher
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. rest — what's left
  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