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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.

Words on the sheet
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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. press — to push
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pit — in a race
  12. field — for sport
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. content — happy
  15. cap — of ice
  16. field — a subject
  17. kid — child
  18. cap — a hat
  19. press — newspapers
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. field — farmland
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. content — the amount

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