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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 116 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bound — certain
  3. court — of law
  4. mug — to rob
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bass — low music
  10. court — of a king
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. cell — in biology
  13. row — a line
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. court — for sport
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bass — the fish
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. stock — goods
  24. cell — a phone

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