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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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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: cue · snap · stock · stand · coach · sharp · content · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. stock — shares
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. press — to push
  12. cue — for pool
  13. content — happy
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. stock — goods
  16. press — newspapers
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. stand — to bear
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. content — the amount

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