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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. stock — goods
  3. field — farmland
  4. hand — help
  5. perch — the fish
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. press — newspapers
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. field — for sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. press — a publisher
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. face — to confront
  15. press — to push
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. face — to point toward
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stock — shares
  20. field — a subject
  21. hand — in cards
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. prune — to trim
  24. face — part of the head

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