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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. charge — a price
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bound — certain
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. roll — a list
  11. band — a ring
  12. stock — goods
  13. charge — electricity
  14. stock — shares
  15. bore — to tire
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. charge — in control
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. chair — a leader
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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