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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. press — to push
  4. stock — goods
  5. roll — a list
  6. fine — all right
  7. net — in sport
  8. press — a publisher
  9. firm — decided
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. press — newspapers
  12. scale — in music
  13. net — after costs
  14. firm — a company
  15. fine — high quality
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. scale — size or range
  18. roll — a cake
  19. race — a contest
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. firm — steady
  22. stock — shares
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — humankind

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