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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. stock — goods
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. last — finally
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. sharp — clever
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. press — a publisher
  10. last — to go on
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. stock — shares
  16. last — final
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. season — in sport
  19. bat — the animal
  20. season — of the year
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. press — newspapers
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. sharp — exactly

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