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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. rock — a stone
  5. content — happy
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. press — a publisher
  8. can — a tin
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. cap — a hat
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rock — music
  14. cap — a lid
  15. foot — a measure
  16. press — to push
  17. tear — to rip
  18. can — to be able to
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. staff — employees
  21. can — a tin
  22. press — newspapers
  23. cap — of ice
  24. content — the amount

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