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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. press — to push
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wake — a trail
  9. clip — to cut
  10. press — newspapers
  11. content — happy
  12. face — to confront
  13. clip — a video
  14. content — the amount
  15. clip — for paper
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — music
  20. face — part of the head
  21. press — a publisher
  22. land — ground
  23. rock — a stone
  24. safe — a strongbox

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