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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. spell — letters
  3. rock — music
  4. staff — a stick
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. staff — employees
  8. content — happy
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. press — a publisher
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. staff — employees
  13. spell — a short time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rock — a stone
  16. press — newspapers
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. press — to push
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. spell — magic

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