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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. ground — crushed
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. press — a publisher
  6. content — the amount
  7. band — a music group
  8. deal — to handle
  9. squash — the sport
  10. press — newspapers
  11. face — to point toward
  12. season — in sport
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. press — to push
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. season — of the year
  19. ground — the earth
  20. squash — to crush
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. content — happy
  24. ground — a position

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