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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: chair · stock · wound · safe · pop · press · shower · cabinet

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. press — newspapers
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. shower — rain
  5. press — to push
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pop — soda
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stock — shares
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pop — to visit
  16. chair — a leader
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. press — a publisher
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. stock — goods
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. shower — to wash
  24. chair — to sit on

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