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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. press — newspapers
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. press — to push
  6. file — a tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stock — goods
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. tear — from crying
  11. toast — bread
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. foot — a measure
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. sharp — clever
  17. stock — shares
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. file — a document
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. press — a publisher
  23. file — a line of people
  24. cabinet — ministers

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