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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rush — hurry
  17. press — newspapers
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stock — shares
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stock — goods
  24. pitcher — a jug

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