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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. press — newspapers
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cold — an illness
  7. snap — to click
  8. pit — in a race
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. club — for dancing
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. club — for golf
  13. pit — a hole
  14. club — a group
  15. press — to push
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. press — a publisher
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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