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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. field — farmland
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. press — a publisher
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. roll — a list
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. roll — a cake
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. content — the amount
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. press — to push
  16. content — happy
  17. plane — a tool
  18. field — a subject
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. field — for sport
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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