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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stock — shares
  4. press — newspapers
  5. cold — an illness
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. row — a line
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. row — to paddle
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. cold — not warm
  22. press — to push
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pass — to succeed

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