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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: lash · chair · race · press · stock · season · pop · bulb

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. season — of the year
  3. pop — music
  4. chair — a leader
  5. stock — shares
  6. press — to push
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. pop — soda
  9. season — in sport
  10. press — a publisher
  11. race — a contest
  12. bulb — for light
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. race — the arms race
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. pop — to visit
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. race — humankind
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bulb — for light
  24. chair — a professorship

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