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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — to push
  4. court — for sport
  5. stock — goods
  6. land — a country
  7. row — a line
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. row — to paddle
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. spring — the season
  15. deal — to handle
  16. press — a publisher
  17. land — to come down
  18. court — of a king
  19. stock — shares
  20. land — ground
  21. court — of law
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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