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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. stock — goods
  3. net — for catching
  4. press — to push
  5. rest — what's left
  6. hand — help
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. net — in sport
  11. press — newspapers
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. net — after costs
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. press — a publisher
  20. stock — shares
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. rest — a break

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