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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. content — the amount
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bound — obliged
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bound — tied together
  13. chip — for betting
  14. content — happy
  15. bound — certain
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. suit — in cards
  19. press — to push
  20. suit — to fit
  21. suit — clothes
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bass — the fish
  24. chip — in a computer

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