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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. press — to push
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stock — shares
  9. track — to keep track
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. kid — child
  13. track — a song
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a grade
  17. drill — army training
  18. mate — to breed
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mate — a partner
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mate — a friend
  24. press — newspapers

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