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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. press — to push
  3. fall — the season
  4. press — newspapers
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. press — a publisher
  10. ground — a position
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stock — goods
  14. ground — the earth
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. dip — to sink
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stock — shares
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — a leader

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