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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. drill — a practice
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. content — happy
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. press — to push
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. land — a country
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. season — in sport
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. press — a publisher
  17. drill — the tool
  18. season — of the year
  19. mate — a partner
  20. drill — army training
  21. land — ground
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. net — in sport
  24. land — to come down

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