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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 124 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: pit · season · content · lash · fall · wave · press · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. content — happy
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. season — in sport
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pit — a hole
  16. season — of the year
  17. pit — in a race
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — the amount
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wave — with your hand

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