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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. spell — letters
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bass — low music
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. stock — goods
  8. bass — the fish
  9. stock — shares
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. press — a publisher
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bound — obliged
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. spell — magic
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. press — newspapers
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. spell — a short time

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