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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. press — a publisher
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in biology
  9. stem — to come from
  10. content — the amount
  11. key — the most important part
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. content — happy
  14. deal — to handle
  15. chest — of your body
  16. key — in music
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. chest — of your body
  21. key — for a lock
  22. press — to push
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. chest — a box

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