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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. season — in sport
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. sharp — clever
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mug — to rob
  14. net — after costs
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. net — for catching
  17. mug — a face
  18. season — of the year
  19. mug — a cup
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chair — a leader

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