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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. track — a song
  5. press — a publisher
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. cue — a signal
  8. stock — shares
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. scale — size or range
  11. press — newspapers
  12. cold — not warm
  13. stock — goods
  14. fine — all right
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. scale — in music
  22. fine — high quality
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. scale — for weighing

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