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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stock — shares
  3. press — to push
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. kid — child
  7. mug — to rob
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mug — a cup
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. kid — to tease
  12. press — a publisher
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. press — newspapers
  16. mug — a face
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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