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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. track — a path
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stock — goods
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wound — an injury
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bound — tied together
  15. press — to push
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cell — a phone
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. press — newspapers
  21. toast — bread
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. track — a song
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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