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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 · bat · lie · can · press · hide · sharp · fall

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. lie — to recline
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. fall — to drop
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. can — a tin
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bat — the animal
  12. can — to be able to
  13. fall — to drop
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fall — the season
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. press — to push
  19. press — newspapers
  20. can — a tin
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stock — goods
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. lie — an untruth

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