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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. wake — a trail
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cell — in biology
  5. press — to push
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. content — happy
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. ball — a great time
  13. rest — what's left
  14. craft — a skill
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. cell — a phone
  19. craft — boats
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. rest — what's left
  24. content — the amount

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