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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. press — to push
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. can — a tin
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. press — a publisher
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. can — a tin
  17. pitch — completely
  18. stock — goods
  19. cold — not warm
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mine — for digging
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stock — shares
  24. mine — belonging to me

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