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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 124 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. land — to come down
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mug — a cup
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. press — a publisher
  9. stock — goods
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. land — a country
  15. sharp — clever
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mug — a face
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. land — ground
  21. mug — to rob
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. snap — to click
  24. press — to push

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