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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. press — newspapers
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. roll — a list
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bass — low music
  10. press — to push
  11. stock — goods
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. wound — an injury
  15. press — a publisher
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bass — the fish
  19. roll — a cake
  20. wound — an injury
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. pit — a hole

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