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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: pit · wound · hide · charge · press · content · wake · bat

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. content — happy
  6. press — newspapers
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. charge — in control
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. content — the amount
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wound — an injury
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. press — a publisher
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. charge — a price
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pit — in a race

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