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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. press — a publisher
  3. pit — a hole
  4. cap — a hat
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. pit — in a race
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. cold — not warm
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fork — in a road
  11. stock — shares
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. last — finally
  17. fine — all right
  18. press — to push
  19. cold — an illness
  20. press — newspapers
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. last — final
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. stock — goods

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