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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. stock — shares
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pound — a weight
  5. press — a publisher
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. content — the amount
  15. press — newspapers
  16. ground — the earth
  17. content — happy
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. ground — a position
  20. pitch — completely
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. stock — goods
  23. ground — crushed
  24. foot — a measure

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