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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stock — goods
  10. press — to push
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a line
  14. rash — a series
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. cue — for pool
  18. stock — shares
  19. press — newspapers
  20. spring — the season
  21. cue — a signal
  22. pop — soda
  23. press — a publisher
  24. rash — on the skin

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