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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. chest — of your body
  6. file — a tool
  7. press — newspapers
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. chest — of your body
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — to sink
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. stock — goods
  15. game — a match
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — in cards
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. suit — clothes
  21. stock — shares
  22. can — a tin
  23. chest — a box
  24. game — wild animals

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