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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 almost out of ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. lean — thin
  3. drill — the tool
  4. stock — goods
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. pop — to visit
  7. swing — music
  8. drill — army training
  9. pop — music
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. press — a publisher
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. craft — boats
  14. stock — shares
  15. field — a subject
  16. drill — a practice
  17. press — to push
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — to play on
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. craft — a skill
  23. press — newspapers
  24. lean — to bend

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