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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. stock — goods
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. press — a publisher
  5. kid — to tease
  6. fine — high quality
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. kid — child
  10. stock — shares
  11. squash — the sport
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. squash — to crush
  14. spell — a short time
  15. game — a match
  16. fine — all right
  17. spell — letters
  18. game — wild animals
  19. spell — magic
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. tear — from crying
  22. press — to push
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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