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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. file — a line of people
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. press — newspapers
  5. game — a match
  6. content — happy
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. press — a publisher
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. kid — child
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. press — to push
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. kid — to tease
  18. file — a document
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. file — a tool

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