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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. suit — clothes
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wound — an injury
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. press — a publisher
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stock — goods
  15. press — to push
  16. prune — to trim
  17. suit — in cards
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. suit — to fit
  21. field — farmland
  22. prune — to trim
  23. saw — the tool
  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