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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. kid — to tease
  3. race — a contest
  4. spring — a coil
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. kid — child
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. staff — employees
  12. spring — of water
  13. press — to push
  14. staff — employees
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spring — the season
  17. staff — a stick
  18. race — the arms race
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. stock — goods
  21. press — newspapers
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stock — shares
  24. race — humankind

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