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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. stock — goods
  3. net — in sport
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. face — to confront
  6. stock — shares
  7. face — part of the head
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. toast — bread
  10. press — a publisher
  11. suit — clothes
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. net — for catching
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. face — to point toward
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bore — to drill
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. press — to push
  23. net — after costs
  24. stock — a soup base

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