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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. stock — goods
  2. chair — a leader
  3. current — of water
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. ground — a position
  7. drill — a practice
  8. spring — the season
  9. ground — crushed
  10. current — electric
  11. ground — the earth
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stock — shares
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. press — a publisher
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. press — to push
  19. drill — army training
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. current — happening now
  23. press — newspapers
  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