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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 120 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. charge — in control
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stock — shares
  6. press — newspapers
  7. mine — for digging
  8. spring — the season
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. spring — a coil
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. press — a publisher
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chair — a leader
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. press — to push
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. charge — a price
  23. spring — of water
  24. scale — in music

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