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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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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: press · toast · object · mine · shower · content · mug · chest

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. object — a thing
  3. press — newspapers
  4. content — the amount
  5. press — a publisher
  6. toast — bread
  7. chest — a box
  8. shower — rain
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. mug — a cup
  11. chest — of your body
  12. press — to push
  13. chest — of your body
  14. object — to protest
  15. shower — to wash
  16. content — happy
  17. mine — for digging
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. mug — a face
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. object — an aim
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mug — to rob

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