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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stock — goods
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. stock — shares
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pop — music
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bear — the animal
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. chest — of your body
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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