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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. content — happy
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. press — newspapers
  6. deal — to handle
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. press — to push
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. board — a committee
  12. field — for sport
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. rule — government
  15. board — to get on
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. field — a subject
  18. rule — a law
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. press — a publisher
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. field — farmland

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