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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. wave — of the sea
  2. content — happy
  3. press — to push
  4. rule — a law
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. shower — rain
  11. net — after costs
  12. press — newspapers
  13. net — for catching
  14. shower — to wash
  15. net — in sport
  16. deal — to handle
  17. rule — government
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. press — a publisher
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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