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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. rush — hurry
  3. press — a publisher
  4. stock — goods
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bass — low music
  7. ground — the earth
  8. season — in sport
  9. press — to push
  10. ground — a position
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. ground — crushed
  14. toast — bread
  15. stock — shares
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. press — newspapers
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wound — an injury

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