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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. tube — a container
  4. press — to push
  5. cold — an illness
  6. staff — employees
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. perch — the fish
  10. press — a publisher
  11. cold — not warm
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stock — shares
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. tube — the underground

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