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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bound — tied together
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. cold — not warm
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. press — to push
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. stock — goods
  18. cold — an illness
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. jam — in traffic

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