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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. lie — to recline
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stock — shares
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. press — newspapers
  8. cell — in biology
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stock — goods
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. press — to push
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. shower — rain

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