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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. press — a publisher
  3. staff — a stick
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wind — moving air
  6. staff — employees
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. stock — shares
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. press — to push
  14. track — a path
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stock — goods
  20. staff — employees
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. track — a song
  24. press — newspapers

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