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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. wind — moving air
  3. charge — electricity
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. charge — in control
  10. press — newspapers
  11. spring — a coil
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wind — moving air
  16. spring — of water
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. press — to push
  19. spring — the season
  20. charge — a price
  21. press — a publisher
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. wave — of the sea

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