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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. ball — a great time
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. content — happy
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. content — the amount
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. ball — a dance
  12. board — to get on
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. press — newspapers
  15. wound — an injury
  16. press — to push
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pit — a hole
  22. board — a committee
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wound — an injury

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