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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. ground — a position
  5. stock — shares
  6. press — to push
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. ground — the earth
  9. season — of the year
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. capital — money
  13. bear — the animal
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. press — a publisher
  16. pass — a permit
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. season — in sport
  21. bear — the animal
  22. press — newspapers
  23. stock — goods
  24. capital — a city

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