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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. present — a gift
  12. press — to push
  13. present — the time now
  14. pound — a weight
  15. stock — shares
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. press — newspapers
  19. stock — goods
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. present — there
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. staff — employees

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