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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. press — a publisher
  3. stock — shares
  4. drill — army training
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. press — to push
  7. stock — goods
  8. press — newspapers
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. drill — the tool
  14. game — a match
  15. mate — to breed
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — to bear
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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