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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: press · content · cold · bound · stick · lash · present · mate

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. press — to push
  3. bound — obliged
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. present — the time now
  11. bound — tied together
  12. present — a gift
  13. mate — to breed
  14. present — there
  15. press — newspapers
  16. cold — not warm
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bound — certain
  20. content — happy
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cold — an illness
  23. mate — a partner
  24. press — a publisher

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