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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: object · roll · cap · press · mug · pitcher · mouse · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — an aim
  4. press — newspapers
  5. cap — of ice
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. press — to push
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. object — a thing
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mug — a cup
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — a cake
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. content — the amount
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mug — a face

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