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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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. bore — to tire
  4. swing — to play on
  5. mug — a face
  6. press — a publisher
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mug — to rob
  10. swing — music
  11. mug — a cup
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. field — a subject
  14. bore — to drill
  15. swing — in golf
  16. field — farmland
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. field — for sport
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stock — shares
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bore — gave birth

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