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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 116 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. club — for golf
  3. cue — for pool
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. pound — a weight
  7. rash — a series
  8. cue — a hint
  9. stock — goods
  10. cue — a signal
  11. club — for dancing
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. court — for sport
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — to push
  20. court — of a king
  21. club — a group
  22. stock — shares
  23. court — of law
  24. pound — for dogs

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