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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 116 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. press — to push
  5. net — in sport
  6. squash — the sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. net — for catching
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. squash — to crush
  19. content — the amount
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. content — happy
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. press — newspapers

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