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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. land — ground
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stock — goods
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. press — a publisher
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stock — shares
  19. lie — to recline
  20. land — to come down
  21. saw — the tool
  22. press — newspapers
  23. land — a country
  24. lie — an untruth

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