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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. shower — rain
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. press — to push
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stock — goods
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rule — a law
  11. file — a document
  12. rule — government
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stand — to bear
  16. file — a tool
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. stock — shares
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stand — for spectators

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