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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. suit — to fit
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. suit — in cards
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. present — a gift
  10. can — a tin
  11. stock — goods
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. press — a publisher
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. present — the time now
  17. suit — clothes
  18. season — in sport
  19. press — to push
  20. stock — shares
  21. present — there
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. press — newspapers
  24. can — to be able to

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