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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. land — to come down
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. chair — a leader
  8. march — music
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. land — a country
  11. march — the month
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stock — shares
  14. rock — a stone
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. rock — music
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stock — goods
  21. land — ground
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. march — the month

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