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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. stock — goods
  3. march — music
  4. charge — in control
  5. stock — shares
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bass — the fish
  9. march — the month
  10. charge — a price
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bass — low music
  14. march — the month
  15. hand — in cards
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. charge — electricity

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