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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  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. wake — a trail
  2. fall — the season
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — a container
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — to push
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stock — shares
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. press — a publisher
  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