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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. stock — goods
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bound — certain
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bound — obliged
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bound — tied together
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. scale — in music
  21. tear — to rip
  22. press — to push
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stock — shares

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