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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. shower — to wash
  3. season — in sport
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. season — of the year
  7. stock — goods
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. press — to push
  10. key — the most important part
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pitch — completely
  13. fine — all right
  14. stock — shares
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. key — in music
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. press — a publisher
  22. key — for a lock
  23. shower — rain
  24. season — to add flavour

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