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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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 — in baseball
  2. drill — the tool
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. press — a publisher
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. chip — to eat
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. drill — army training
  16. stock — shares
  17. press — newspapers
  18. file — a line of people
  19. press — to push
  20. drill — a practice
  21. chip — for betting
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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