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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cell — in biology
  4. content — the amount
  5. key — the most important part
  6. drill — the tool
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. press — a publisher
  10. content — happy
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. key — for a lock
  13. stock — shares
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. press — to push
  16. bass — low music
  17. cell — a phone
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. press — newspapers
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — a practice
  24. stock — goods

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