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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. vault — a safe
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. press — newspapers
  5. saw — the tool
  6. press — to push
  7. stock — shares
  8. field — farmland
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. spell — letters
  11. field — for sport
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. content — the amount
  14. stock — goods
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — to protest
  17. content — happy
  18. spell — a short time
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. press — a publisher
  21. object — a thing
  22. spell — magic
  23. field — a subject
  24. saw — the tool

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