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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 120 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: pit · dip · content · arm · kid · mouse · press · fall

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. content — happy
  4. press — to push
  5. pit — a hole
  6. content — the amount
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. kid — child
  11. press — a publisher
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. press — newspapers
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. fall — to drop
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. kid — to tease
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. pit — in a race

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