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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 120 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 · lean · lie · wound · snap · stock · pitch · present

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — a publisher
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pitch — completely
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. present — there
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. present — a gift
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. present — the time now
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lean — thin
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. press — to push
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. stock — shares
  24. snap — to click

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