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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. roll — a list
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. press — a publisher
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. swing — in golf
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. stock — shares
  12. swing — music
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. press — newspapers
  15. roll — a cake
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pound — a weight
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. press — to push

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