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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 124 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. spring — the season
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. clip — a video
  6. stand — to bear
  7. spring — a coil
  8. press — newspapers
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. foot — a measure
  11. content — happy
  12. press — to push
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. clip — to cut
  16. spring — of water
  17. land — ground
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. content — the amount
  21. land — to come down
  22. clip — for paper
  23. land — a country
  24. foot — part of the body

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