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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 116 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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. chair — a leader
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. shower — rain
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bass — low music
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. snap — to click
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. deal — to handle
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. press — a publisher
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. shower — to wash
  18. press — newspapers
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. press — to push
  22. stock — goods
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bass — the fish

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