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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. track — a song
  6. press — a publisher
  7. track — to keep track
  8. press — newspapers
  9. stock — shares
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bass — the fish
  13. track — a path
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. kick — in football
  16. press — to push
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. toast — bread
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wound — an injury
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. bass — low music

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