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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. ground — crushed
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cell — in biology
  5. pop — soda
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bound — certain
  9. stock — goods
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pop — music
  13. march — the month
  14. stock — shares
  15. pop — to visit
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. march — music
  18. cell — a phone
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bound — obliged
  22. march — the month
  23. press — to push
  24. ground — a position

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