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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. press — to push
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mark — a grade
  8. march — music
  9. mark — a trace
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. capital — a city
  13. stock — goods
  14. capital — money
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. march — the month
  20. wake — a trail
  21. stock — shares
  22. march — the month
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. press — newspapers

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