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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. press — newspapers
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bat — the animal
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. press — to push
  9. ball — a dance
  10. mate — a friend
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — size or range
  13. content — happy
  14. snap — to click
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. press — a publisher
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mate — a partner
  19. scale — in music
  20. content — the amount
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. hand — help
  23. mate — to breed
  24. ball — a great time

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