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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. fine — high quality
  4. press — to push
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fine — all right
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. press — newspapers
  11. wax — to grow
  12. kick — in football
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bat — the animal
  20. content — happy
  21. club — for golf
  22. tube — a container
  23. content — the amount
  24. club — a group

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