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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: row · mine · press · last · content · snap · stand · stick

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. content — happy
  3. last — final
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. snap — to click
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stand — to bear
  16. last — to go on
  17. press — newspapers
  18. row — to paddle
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. press — to push
  21. content — the amount
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. last — finally

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