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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. scale — size or range
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. net — after costs
  6. stock — goods
  7. press — a publisher
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. root — of a plant
  12. shower — rain
  13. root — of a word
  14. press — newspapers
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. press — to push
  19. shower — to wash
  20. root — the cause
  21. stock — shares
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. net — for catching
  24. scale — in music

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