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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 120 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. present — the time now
  4. press — newspapers
  5. march — the month
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. present — a gift
  9. press — to push
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. march — the month
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pass — a permit
  16. stock — goods
  17. kid — to tease
  18. prune — to trim
  19. present — there
  20. press — a publisher
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. march — music
  23. game — a match
  24. prune — the fruit

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