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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bear — the animal
  3. clip — a video
  4. bear — the animal
  5. clip — for paper
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. rest — what's left
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. ground — a position
  16. clip — to cut
  17. content — the amount
  18. ground — crushed
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. lean — thin
  22. content — happy
  23. bat — the animal
  24. lean — to rest against

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