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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. cold — not warm
  4. can — to be able to
  5. cold — an illness
  6. tube — the underground
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. press — newspapers
  10. stock — shares
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. press — a publisher
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. craft — boats
  17. tube — a container
  18. court — of a king
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. craft — a skill
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stock — goods
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. cold — the Cold War

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