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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. stock — shares
  3. bat — the animal
  4. ground — crushed
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. can — a tin
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. can — a tin
  12. ground — the earth
  13. stock — goods
  14. ground — a position
  15. chair — a leader
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. can — to be able to
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. board — to get on
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fan — a supporter

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