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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. track — a path
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. march — the month
  6. rash — a series
  7. march — the month
  8. track — to keep track
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. press — to push
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stock — shares
  13. rash — hasty
  14. lean — to bend
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. lean — thin
  18. march — music
  19. stock — goods
  20. press — newspapers
  21. snap — to click
  22. press — a publisher
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. track — a song

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