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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. spring — a coil
  4. scale — in music
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. roll — a cake
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. spring — the season
  12. press — a publisher
  13. dip — to sink
  14. press — newspapers
  15. spring — of water
  16. stock — shares
  17. press — to push
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stock — goods
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. scale — size or range

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