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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wake — a trail
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. root — of a word
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. degree — an amount
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. content — happy
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. root — the cause
  14. degree — from a university
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. press — newspapers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. degree — temperature
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. root — of a plant

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