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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mark — a grade
  3. scale — size or range
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. press — to push
  8. scale — in music
  9. press — a publisher
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. ground — a position
  12. stem — to come from
  13. content — happy
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. ground — the earth
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mark — a trace
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. content — the amount
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mark — to pay attention

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