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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. track — to keep track
  3. can — a tin
  4. mark — a grade
  5. can — to be able to
  6. track — a path
  7. court — of law
  8. track — a song
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. stock — shares
  12. court — for sport
  13. can — a tin
  14. stock — goods
  15. press — newspapers
  16. court — of a king
  17. press — to push
  18. bound — obliged
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. mark — a trace

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