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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. wound — an injury
  3. march — the month
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. squash — the sport
  7. press — a publisher
  8. wound — an injury
  9. press — to push
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. content — the amount
  13. press — newspapers
  14. ball — a great time
  15. squash — to crush
  16. content — happy
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bay — a horse colour

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