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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. chest — a box
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fall — the season
  5. chest — of your body
  6. press — a publisher
  7. clip — to cut
  8. press — newspapers
  9. stock — shares
  10. press — to push
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. clip — for paper
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stock — goods
  21. clip — a video
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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