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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. content — happy
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. ground — the earth
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bass — low music
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. ground — a position
  13. bat — the animal
  14. root — the cause
  15. ground — crushed
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. content — the amount
  21. bass — the fish
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. root — of a word

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