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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 120 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. press — newspapers
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stock — shares
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. perch — the fish
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. press — a publisher
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. snap — to click
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — to sink
  19. sharp — clever
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. press — to push
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stock — goods

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