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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. fine — all right
  3. net — after costs
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. staff — employees
  6. press — to push
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. staff — a stick
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. content — the amount
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. press — newspapers
  20. staff — employees
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. fine — high quality
  23. press — a publisher
  24. fan — a supporter

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