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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. season — in sport
  3. press — to push
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. kid — child
  10. rule — a law
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. season — of the year
  14. bank — for money
  15. press — a publisher
  16. rule — government
  17. bat — the animal
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. press — newspapers
  24. kid — to tease

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