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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. ground — the earth
  4. last — finally
  5. content — happy
  6. press — to push
  7. chip — to eat
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. press — newspapers
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. ground — crushed
  14. content — the amount
  15. press — a publisher
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a hint
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. ground — a position
  24. racket — a loud noise

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