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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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. press — a publisher
  2. cold — an illness
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. rest — what's left
  5. track — to keep track
  6. branch — a division
  7. stock — goods
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pitch — completely
  10. press — newspapers
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cold — not warm
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. track — a path
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. press — to push
  21. stock — shares
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. track — a song
  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