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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: key · press · rash · stock · cell · kick

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stock — goods
  3. press — newspapers
  4. key — in music
  5. press — to push
  6. rash — a series
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rash — hasty
  10. key — for a lock
  11. cell — in biology
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. press — a publisher
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stock — shares
  17. kick — in football
  18. rash — on the skin

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