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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 116 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. last — final
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. rock — music
  9. last — to go on
  10. season — of the year
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. stock — shares
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mark — a trace
  16. sharp — clever
  17. season — in sport
  18. stock — goods
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rock — a stone
  22. chair — a leader
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. last — finally

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