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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 water is too ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. row — to paddle
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. object — an aim
  6. staff — employees
  7. present — a gift
  8. stock — shares
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. press — newspapers
  13. staff — employees
  14. present — there
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. staff — a stick
  19. row — a line
  20. stock — goods
  21. object — a thing
  22. cold — an illness
  23. present — the time now
  24. object — to protest

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