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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. stock — goods
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bound — obliged
  5. mate — to breed
  6. cold — an illness
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. staff — employees
  9. mate — a partner
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. staff — a stick
  14. plane — a tool
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. staff — employees
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bound — tied together
  22. stock — shares
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bound — certain

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