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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. degree — an amount
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — to bear
  7. mug — to rob
  8. tear — from crying
  9. press — to push
  10. mug — a face
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. tear — from crying
  14. degree — from a university
  15. tear — to rip
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — shares
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. press — a publisher
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mine — for digging
  24. degree — temperature

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