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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. last — to go on
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. game — wild animals
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. net — for catching
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. court — of a king
  11. game — a match
  12. net — in sport
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. press — newspapers
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. press — to push
  18. last — final
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. press — a publisher
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — rain
  24. net — after costs

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