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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. cold — not warm
  4. fine — high quality
  5. content — the amount
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. press — to push
  9. content — happy
  10. cold — an illness
  11. net — after costs
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. press — newspapers
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fine — all right
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. tube — a container
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. press — a publisher
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. cold — the Cold War

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