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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. rock — a stone
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stock — goods
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. stock — shares
  16. lean — thin
  17. wake — a trail
  18. lean — to bend
  19. cold — not warm
  20. press — to push
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cold — an illness
  24. rock — music

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