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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rest — what's left
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rest — what's left
  14. content — happy
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. press — newspapers
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. wind — moving air
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. leaves — lets stay

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