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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.

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: press · season · file · stock · snap · key · cold · row

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. row — a line
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stock — shares
  6. cold — an illness
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. file — a document
  9. row — to paddle
  10. season — of the year
  11. file — a tool
  12. press — a publisher
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. season — in sport
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. press — to push
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. snap — to click
  22. stock — goods
  23. cold — not warm
  24. file — a line of people

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