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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. content — happy
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. net — for catching
  9. rock — a stone
  10. content — the amount
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rock — music
  15. chip — for betting
  16. net — after costs
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. press — to push
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. press — a publisher
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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