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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pop — music
  4. scale — in music
  5. content — happy
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. content — the amount
  9. snap — to click
  10. deal — to handle
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. press — to push
  17. season — of the year
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. season — in sport
  22. pop — to visit
  23. scale — size or range
  24. pop — soda

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