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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
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: content · bulb · arm · press · ball · mine · bore · pitch

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. content — happy
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. press — to push
  14. bore — to drill
  15. press — a publisher
  16. content — the amount
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bore — to tire
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a great time
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pitch — completely
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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