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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stock — shares
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. press — to push
  6. march — the month
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. can — a tin
  14. cap — a lid
  15. ball — a great time
  16. march — music
  17. game — a match
  18. ball — a dance
  19. march — the month
  20. can — to be able to
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. can — a tin
  23. stock — goods
  24. press — newspapers

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