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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. stock — goods
  3. key — the most important part
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. snap — to click
  6. stock — shares
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. press — a publisher
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. press — to push

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