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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. cue — a signal
  3. stock — shares
  4. capital — a city
  5. cue — for pool
  6. club — a group
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. spell — letters
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. march — the month
  12. club — for dancing
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. capital — money
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. spell — magic
  19. club — for golf
  20. cue — a hint
  21. spell — a short time
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stock — goods
  24. capital — a big letter

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