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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 116 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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. press — to push
  4. net — in sport
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. spring — of water
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. spring — the season
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. stock — shares
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. rash — hasty
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. rash — a series
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. deal — to handle
  23. stock — goods
  24. rush — a thrill

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