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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 116 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. content — the amount
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. spell — letters
  5. game — wild animals
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bat — the animal
  8. race — a contest
  9. content — happy
  10. deal — to handle
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. spell — a short time
  15. game — a match
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. press — to push
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. kick — in football
  20. spell — magic
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bat — in an idiom

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