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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. press — newspapers
  7. field — a subject
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. press — a publisher
  10. content — the amount
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. field — for sport
  14. press — to push
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — happy
  17. ground — the earth
  18. field — farmland
  19. cell — a phone
  20. ground — a position
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. fan — to cool the air

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