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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pop — music
  3. stock — goods
  4. net — for catching
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — of a plant
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pop — to visit
  12. net — after costs
  13. pop — soda
  14. rash — hasty
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. press — to push
  18. press — a publisher
  19. net — in sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rash — a series
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stock — shares
  24. root — the cause

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