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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. file — a document
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. spring — a coil
  5. ground — crushed
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. spring — of water
  9. bat — the animal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. ground — a position
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. spring — the season
  15. file — a tool
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. prune — to trim
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. content — the amount
  20. press — a publisher
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. ground — the earth
  23. prune — to trim
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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