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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. file — a document
  3. press — newspapers
  4. lean — thin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. press — a publisher
  8. saw — the tool
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. lean — to bend
  13. field — for sport
  14. rash — a series
  15. file — a tool
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. row — to paddle
  18. field — farmland
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. file — a line of people
  21. saw — the tool
  22. field — a subject
  23. stock — shares
  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