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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: coach · bat · press · degree · content · lie · bear · arm

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bat — the animal
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. content — happy
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. press — to push
  16. content — the amount
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. coach — a trainer

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