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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 116 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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468
Word bank
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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bat — the animal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. press — to push
  9. squash — the sport
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. content — happy
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pitch — completely
  20. press — a publisher
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. content — the amount
  23. press — newspapers
  24. squash — the vegetable

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