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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. press — newspapers
  4. content — the amount
  5. cell — in biology
  6. press — to push
  7. cell — a phone
  8. court — of a king
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. court — of law
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — a tool
  18. court — for sport
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. cell — in a prison

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