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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. current — of water
  3. suit — to fit
  4. stock — shares
  5. suit — in cards
  6. press — newspapers
  7. tear — to rip
  8. snap — to click
  9. stock — goods
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — music
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. tear — from crying
  14. current — electric
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. suit — clothes
  19. press — a publisher
  20. current — happening now
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. tear — from crying
  24. press — to push

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