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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. net — for catching
  3. press — a publisher
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bore — to tire
  10. content — the amount
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. season — of the year
  14. content — happy
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. season — in sport
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bore — to drill
  23. press — to push
  24. spell — a short time

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