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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cell · ground · press · hide · row · squash · lie · content

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. row — to paddle
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. ground — a position
  6. press — a publisher
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. squash — to crush
  9. lie — to recline
  10. cell — in biology
  11. content — happy
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cell — a phone
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. press — newspapers
  18. content — the amount
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. squash — the sport
  21. row — a line
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. ground — the earth
  24. press — to push

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