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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. press — a publisher
  3. stock — goods
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. last — to go on
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. last — finally
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. tube — a container
  16. last — final
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. drill — army training
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. press — to push
  21. stock — shares
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. racket — for tennis

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