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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. drill — army training
  4. content — happy
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. press — newspapers
  7. stem — to come from
  8. press — to push
  9. current — electric
  10. drill — the tool
  11. squash — the sport
  12. stock — goods
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. drill — a practice
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. press — a publisher
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. content — the amount
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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