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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: key · stock · row · press · net · cell · jam · object

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. net — after costs
  3. press — to push
  4. row — a line
  5. object — a thing
  6. net — in sport
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. press — a publisher
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. key — the most important part
  11. object — an aim
  12. press — newspapers
  13. key — in music
  14. net — for catching
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. cell — in biology
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. row — to paddle
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stock — shares
  23. cell — a phone
  24. object — to protest

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