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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 124 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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stock — goods
  8. pit — a hole
  9. ball — a dance
  10. march — music
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wound — an injury
  17. march — the month
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. march — the month
  21. stock — shares
  22. cell — a phone
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stock — a soup base

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