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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. stock — goods
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bound — certain
  6. press — to push
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. swing — to play on
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. capital — money
  16. stock — shares
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bound — obliged
  19. press — a publisher
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. swing — music
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. capital — a city
  24. swing — in golf

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