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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bowl · straw · stock · squash · chest · press · lie · can

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. chest — of your body
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. can — to be able to
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stock — shares
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. press — to push
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chest — a box
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. press — a publisher
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. lie — to recline
  23. stock — goods
  24. chest — of your body

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