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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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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 · pit · rock · content · snap · rest · press · nail

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. snap — to click
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pit — in a race
  12. stock — goods
  13. content — happy
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. press — to push
  16. rock — music
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. pit — a hole
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rock — a stone
  22. content — the amount
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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