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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stock — goods
  4. last — final
  5. bank — of a river
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. game — a match
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. press — newspapers
  11. game — wild animals
  12. last — to go on
  13. bank — for money
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. sharp — clever
  16. press — a publisher
  17. last — finally
  18. stock — shares
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wake — a trail
  23. press — to push
  24. sharp — exactly

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