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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · toast · cell · wake · lie · press

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. press — a publisher
  3. lie — to recline
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wake — a trail
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. toast — bread
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. cell — a phone
  14. press — to push
  15. content — happy
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. press — newspapers

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