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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  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. lie — an untruth
  2. press — to push
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. cold — an illness
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. toast — bread
  7. content — the amount
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. present — there
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. present — a gift
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cold — not warm
  19. press — newspapers
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. present — the time now
  23. press — a publisher
  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