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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. hand — help
  3. content — the amount
  4. press — newspapers
  5. date — the fruit
  6. press — a publisher
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. band — a music group
  9. wound — an injury
  10. press — to push
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. band — a ring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. rash — a series
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rash — hasty
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wound — an injury
  23. content — happy
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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