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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pass — a permit
  3. press — to push
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stock — goods
  6. press — newspapers
  7. court — for sport
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. court — of law
  11. key — for a lock
  12. stock — shares
  13. mine — for digging
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. court — of a king
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. press — a publisher
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. key — in music
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. key — the most important part
  24. coach — a trainer

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