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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. net — for catching
  4. tube — a container
  5. cell — in biology
  6. net — after costs
  7. stock — shares
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. row — a line
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. net — in sport
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stock — goods
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chip — for betting
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cell — a phone
  21. press — to push
  22. row — to paddle
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. press — a publisher

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