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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stock — goods
  5. court — of a king
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. cap — a hat
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. row — to paddle
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. stock — shares
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. court — of law
  15. wake — a trail
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cap — of ice
  22. press — newspapers
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. court — for sport

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