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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. stock — goods
  3. mate — a partner
  4. face — to confront
  5. root — of a word
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stock — shares
  11. mate — to breed
  12. deal — to handle
  13. press — newspapers
  14. root — the cause
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. face — part of the head
  20. root — of a plant
  21. saw — the tool
  22. face — to point toward
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. press — to push

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