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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. current — electric
  4. stock — shares
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cue — a signal
  7. snap — to click
  8. current — of water
  9. lean — thin
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cue — for pool
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stock — goods
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bound — tied together
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bound — certain
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. current — happening now
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bound — obliged
  24. press — to push

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