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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. charge — electricity
  3. toast — bread
  4. press — to push
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stock — goods
  8. charge — a price
  9. stock — shares
  10. fall — the season
  11. press — a publisher
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. saw — the tool
  14. charge — in control
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. fall — to drop
  19. press — newspapers
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wind — moving air

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