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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 120 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. suit — in cards
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. stock — shares
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stock — goods
  12. kid — child
  13. chair — a leader
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. stem — to come from
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. suit — clothes
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. kid — to tease

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