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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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Word bank
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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: cap · mug · tear · press · fine · content · ruler · spell

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mug — a face
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. fine — high quality
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. fine — all right
  8. mug — a cup
  9. content — the amount
  10. spell — magic
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. tear — from crying
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cap — a lid
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mug — to rob
  19. tear — from crying
  20. spell — letters
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cap — of ice
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. cap — a hat

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