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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · stick · content · game · wake · bat · lie · press

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bat — the animal
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. lie — to recline
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wake — a trail
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. game — a match
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. press — a publisher
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. lie — an untruth

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