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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. fine — all right
  4. press — to push
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. stock — goods
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. toast — bread
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. stock — shares
  24. hand — in cards

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