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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 120 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. wind — moving air
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stock — goods
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cap — a lid
  17. wind — moving air
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cap — a hat
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cap — of ice

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