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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cold — an illness
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. charge — a price
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. kid — to tease
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. charge — in control
  11. cold — not warm
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stock — goods
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stock — shares
  20. charge — electricity
  21. prune — to trim
  22. press — a publisher
  23. kid — child
  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