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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. press — newspapers
  4. pound — a weight
  5. press — to push
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. march — the month
  8. press — a publisher
  9. degree — temperature
  10. file — a tool
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. file — a document
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. degree — an amount
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. stock — shares
  23. file — a line of people
  24. degree — from a university

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