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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. content — the amount
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. date — the fruit
  6. wake — a trail
  7. content — happy
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. press — to push
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. tube — the underground
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cue — for pool
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. tube — a container
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wake — before a funeral

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