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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 have a ________________ here.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. ground — crushed
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tube — a container
  8. rest — what's left
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rest — what's left
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. ground — a position
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. press — newspapers
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. sharp — clever
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stock — shares
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. ground — the earth
  24. press — to push

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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