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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 120 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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. can — a tin
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. press — to push
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. stock — shares
  12. can — to be able to
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stock — goods
  16. press — newspapers
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. tube — the underground
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. press — a publisher
  22. can — a tin
  23. rash — a series
  24. chair — a professorship

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