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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rash — hasty
  4. press — a publisher
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wind — moving air
  10. press — newspapers
  11. pit — a hole
  12. stock — goods
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. press — to push
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rash — a series
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stock — shares
  20. wind — moving air
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pit — in a race
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stock — a soup base

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