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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. press — a publisher
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. press — newspapers
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. club — a group
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stock — goods
  14. kick — in football
  15. press — to push
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. club — for golf
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wound — an injury
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stock — shares
  24. club — for dancing

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