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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. press — to push
  3. stock — goods
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. press — newspapers
  6. spell — magic
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tear — to rip
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. ball — a great time
  11. court — for sport
  12. spell — a short time
  13. stock — shares
  14. court — of a king
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kick — in football
  17. ball — a dance
  18. spell — letters
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. tear — from crying
  21. court — of law
  22. press — a publisher
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. tear — from crying

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