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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pop — music
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. spell — a short time
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. press — to push
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. spell — magic
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. pop — to visit
  13. stock — goods
  14. file — a line of people
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. spell — letters
  17. stock — shares
  18. stem — to come from
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. press — a publisher
  22. pop — soda
  23. kid — to tease
  24. safe — out of danger

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