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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · pound · pit · cap · press · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. stock — goods
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cap — of ice
  9. press — to push
  10. pit — a hole
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. press — newspapers
  14. stock — shares
  15. last — final
  16. pit — in a race
  17. last — finally
  18. stock — a soup base

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