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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. scale — size or range
  3. press — to push
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. press — a publisher
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. sharp — clever
  11. craft — boats
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stock — shares
  14. press — newspapers
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stock — goods
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wake — a trail
  21. scale — in music
  22. rest — a break
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. craft — a skill

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