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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.

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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: row · press · cell · degree · hide · content · capital · perch

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. degree — temperature
  6. capital — money
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. press — a publisher
  10. capital — a city
  11. content — the amount
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. degree — an amount
  14. row — to paddle
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cell — in biology
  17. content — happy
  18. row — a line
  19. perch — the fish
  20. cell — a phone
  21. degree — from a university
  22. press — to push
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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