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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. press — to push
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. swing — in golf
  7. press — a publisher
  8. rush — hurry
  9. scale — in music
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. scale — size or range
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. squash — the sport
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. swing — music
  17. press — newspapers
  18. squash — to crush
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. swing — to play on
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. squash — the vegetable

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