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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: press · deal · clip · content · bay · stock · fall · bass

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. content — the amount
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. fall — the season
  6. clip — for paper
  7. press — to push
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. deal — to handle
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. press — a publisher
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bass — the fish
  15. stock — shares
  16. bass — low music
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. clip — a video
  20. stock — goods
  21. fall — to drop
  22. content — happy
  23. press — newspapers
  24. fall — to drop

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