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

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. stock — shares
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mark — a grade
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. press — to push
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. stock — goods
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. press — a publisher
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. fork — in a road
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — to lash out

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