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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — shares
  4. face — to point toward
  5. spring — a coil
  6. clip — for paper
  7. spring — the season
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — a company
  10. press — newspapers
  11. face — to confront
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. press — a publisher
  14. clip — a video
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — an aim
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. object — to protest
  20. firm — decided
  21. stock — goods
  22. spring — of water
  23. face — part of the head
  24. clip — to cut

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