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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. press — a publisher
  3. face — to confront
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. charge — electricity
  8. firm — decided
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. charge — in control
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. press — to push
  15. press — newspapers
  16. firm — steady
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. charge — a price
  19. rock — music
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. face — part of the head
  23. rock — a stone
  24. mine — for digging

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