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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. press — to push
  3. chest — a box
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. rest — a break
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. object — an aim
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stock — shares
  13. object — a thing
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stock — goods
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. chest — of your body
  20. last — to go on
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rest — what's left
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rest — what's left

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