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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cell — in biology
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. stock — goods
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pitch — completely
  17. press — newspapers
  18. lie — to recline
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. press — to push
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. press — a publisher
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. fan — a supporter

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