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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. stock — shares
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. ground — a position
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. shower — rain
  14. ground — crushed
  15. content — happy
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. rush — hurry
  19. stock — goods
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. content — the amount
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rush — a thrill

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