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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. suit — in cards
  3. press — to push
  4. suit — clothes
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. stock — goods
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. tube — the underground
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. deal — to handle
  13. stock — shares
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. press — newspapers
  16. tube — a container
  17. suit — to fit
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mark — a trace
  20. cold — an illness
  21. press — a publisher
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mark — a grade

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