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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bound — tied together
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. net — after costs
  5. last — final
  6. bound — certain
  7. net — for catching
  8. last — to go on
  9. snap — to click
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bound — obliged
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. hand — in cards
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. dip — to sink
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. net — in sport
  23. hand — help
  24. last — finally

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