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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 120 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. press — to push
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. fine — all right
  7. press — a publisher
  8. dip — to sink
  9. content — the amount
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pit — a hole
  13. press — newspapers
  14. root — of a word
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. root — of a plant
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. fine — high quality
  20. pit — in a race
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. content — happy
  24. root — the cause

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