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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. cue — for pool
  5. rush — hurry
  6. capital — a city
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stock — shares
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. file — a document
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stock — goods
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. file — a tool
  24. wound — an injury

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