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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
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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: fall · shower · chair · ball · lie · content · saw · press

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. content — happy
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. saw — the tool
  8. press — a publisher
  9. saw — the tool
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. press — to push
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. chair — a leader
  18. ball — a dance
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. shower — rain
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. shower — to wash
  23. press — newspapers
  24. chair — a professorship

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