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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. last — final
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. last — finally
  6. ground — crushed
  7. stock — goods
  8. press — to push
  9. stock — shares
  10. press — a publisher
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. ground — a position
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bear — the animal
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bear — the animal
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. last — to go on
  22. ground — the earth
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. squash — to crush

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