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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: stock · game · toast · bore · bat · rule · sharp · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bore — to drill
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bore — to tire
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. press — newspapers
  13. toast — bread
  14. rule — a law
  15. stock — goods
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rule — government
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bat — the animal
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. press — to push
  24. bat — in an idiom

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