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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mark — a trace
  5. board — to get on
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. tear — from crying
  9. drill — the tool
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — army training
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. tear — to rip
  19. board — a committee
  20. mark — a grade
  21. stock — shares
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — a list
  24. chair — a leader

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