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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bat — the animal
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — a signal
  14. press — newspapers
  15. scale — in music
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. cue — for pool
  18. rash — a series
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. press — to push
  21. content — happy
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. wound — an injury

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