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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. rule — a law
  4. content — the amount
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. content — happy
  10. dip — to sink
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. track — a song
  16. stock — goods
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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