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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. cold — not warm
  3. content — happy
  4. cold — an illness
  5. press — a publisher
  6. content — the amount
  7. fine — high quality
  8. firm — decided
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. club — for golf
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fine — all right
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. perch — the fish
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. club — a group
  20. firm — a company
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. firm — steady
  23. press — to push
  24. club — for dancing

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