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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 120 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. press — to push
  3. stock — goods
  4. fine — high quality
  5. last — final
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. squash — the sport
  10. stock — shares
  11. fall — to drop
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. squash — to crush
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. firm — steady
  17. press — newspapers
  18. net — after costs
  19. fall — the season
  20. firm — a company
  21. fall — to drop
  22. press — a publisher
  23. fine — all right
  24. firm — decided

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