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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. content — the amount
  3. club — a group
  4. press — newspapers
  5. content — happy
  6. press — a publisher
  7. saw — the tool
  8. press — to push
  9. bear — the animal
  10. row — a line
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. cell — a phone
  13. season — in sport
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cell — in biology
  17. club — for golf
  18. season — of the year
  19. row — to paddle
  20. club — for dancing
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. saw — the tool

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