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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. ground — a position
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — a stone
  9. season — in sport
  10. stock — shares
  11. ground — crushed
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. press — newspapers
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bat — the animal
  16. press — to push
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. ground — the earth
  20. season — of the year
  21. fine — high quality
  22. stock — goods
  23. press — a publisher
  24. rock — music

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