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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.

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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rest — what's left
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. race — the arms race
  6. content — happy
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. press — newspapers
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. branch — a division
  15. press — to push
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — the amount
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. race — humankind
  23. season — of the year
  24. race — a contest

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