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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. press — to push
  3. staff — employees
  4. firm — steady
  5. firm — decided
  6. date — the fruit
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. stock — goods
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. face — to confront
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — part of the head
  18. snap — to click
  19. stock — shares
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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