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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. press — a publisher
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. press — newspapers
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. fall — to drop
  9. object — to protest
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fall — the season
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. press — to push
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rule — a law
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. object — a thing
  18. stock — shares
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rule — government
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. object — an aim
  24. stock — goods

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