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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. land — ground
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stock — goods
  9. pit — a hole
  10. stock — shares
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. band — a ring
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. band — a music group
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. land — to come down
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. chair — a leader
  23. land — a country
  24. band — a rubber band

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