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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. staff — a stick
  4. foot — a measure
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stock — shares
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. season — in sport
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fall — to drop
  13. press — newspapers
  14. fall — to drop
  15. degree — from a university
  16. chest — of your body
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. press — a publisher
  20. chest — a box
  21. fall — the season
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. season — of the year
  24. press — to push

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