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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. press — a publisher
  4. firm — steady
  5. stock — shares
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. foot — a measure
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tube — a container
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — a company
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wake — a trail
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. tube — the underground
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stock — goods
  24. press — newspapers

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