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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stock — goods
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. press — newspapers
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. snap — to click
  12. bark — to shout
  13. hand — help
  14. mark — a grade
  15. craft — boats
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. stock — shares
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. press — a publisher
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. press — to push
  23. craft — a skill
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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