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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: wave · press · object · date · toast · stick · vault · content

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. content — the amount
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. content — happy
  7. date — the fruit
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. vault — a safe
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. object — an aim
  12. press — to push
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. toast — bread
  15. object — a thing
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. object — to protest
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. press — a publisher
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. date — on the calendar

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