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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. toast — bread
  11. press — newspapers
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. press — a publisher
  16. capital — money
  17. stand — to bear
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. capital — a city
  24. press — to push

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