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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pit · racket · dip · mine · content · spell · fan · press

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. spell — magic
  4. dip — to sink
  5. spell — a short time
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — newspapers
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. content — happy
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. content — the amount
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. spell — letters
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pit — in a race
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pit — a hole
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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