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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. season — in sport
  4. bass — low music
  5. press — newspapers
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mug — a cup
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. content — the amount
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bass — the fish
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mug — a face
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — thin
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. press — a publisher
  21. content — happy
  22. press — to push
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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