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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. press — to push
  6. shower — to wash
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. press — newspapers
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. row — a line
  12. ball — a great time
  13. stock — shares
  14. press — a publisher
  15. ball — a dance
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stock — goods
  18. chest — of your body
  19. snap — to click
  20. shower — rain
  21. chest — a box
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. chest — of your body
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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