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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. press — a publisher
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. stock — goods
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. spring — a coil
  8. shower — to wash
  9. roll — a list
  10. press — newspapers
  11. spring — of water
  12. roll — a cake
  13. shower — rain
  14. lean — thin
  15. spring — the season
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bat — the animal
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lean — to bend
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stock — shares
  23. saw — the tool
  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