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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. file — a document
  7. season — in sport
  8. file — a line of people
  9. ground — crushed
  10. cold — not warm
  11. file — a tool
  12. toast — bread
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — the amount
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. ground — the earth
  21. season — of the year
  22. cold — an illness
  23. content — happy
  24. ground — a position

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