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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. hand — help
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. content — happy
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. press — to push
  11. key — for a lock
  12. press — newspapers
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. press — a publisher
  16. pop — music
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. key — in music
  21. content — the amount
  22. fine — high quality
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cabinet — ministers

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