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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. present — a gift
  3. net — after costs
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. press — to push
  7. stock — shares
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. spring — of water
  10. deal — to handle
  11. net — in sport
  12. spring — the season
  13. stock — goods
  14. net — for catching
  15. press — a publisher
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mark — a trace
  19. present — there
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bear — the animal
  22. present — the time now
  23. bear — the animal
  24. press — newspapers

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