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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. firm — a company
  3. stock — shares
  4. scale — in music
  5. wound — an injury
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. scale — size or range
  9. pitch — completely
  10. press — a publisher
  11. stock — goods
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. firm — steady
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. season — of the year
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wound — an injury
  20. firm — decided
  21. press — to push
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. press — newspapers
  24. season — in sport

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