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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — newspapers
  3. scale — in music
  4. row — to paddle
  5. press — a publisher
  6. fall — to drop
  7. clip — to cut
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. row — a line
  14. scale — size or range
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. clip — a video
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. stock — goods
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pound — a weight
  24. fall — the season

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