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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. game — a match
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rock — a stone
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. chest — of your body
  10. present — a gift
  11. craft — boats
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. craft — a skill
  15. present — the time now
  16. chest — a box
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rock — music
  19. game — wild animals
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. present — there
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chest — of your body

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