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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. game — wild animals
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rule — a law
  5. content — happy
  6. press — a publisher
  7. ground — the earth
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. game — a match
  11. press — newspapers
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. ground — a position
  16. branch — a division
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. chip — for betting
  19. rule — government
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — to eat
  23. content — the amount
  24. craft — boats

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