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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. ground — a position
  3. content — the amount
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. press — a publisher
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. content — happy
  12. kid — child
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pitch — completely
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. ground — the earth
  19. press — to push
  20. ground — crushed
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bulb — for light

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