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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. fine — all right
  6. stock — goods
  7. staff — employees
  8. mate — a friend
  9. club — a group
  10. chair — a leader
  11. club — for dancing
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. degree — from a university
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. degree — an amount
  17. staff — a stick
  18. degree — temperature
  19. mate — to breed
  20. stock — shares
  21. fine — high quality
  22. club — for golf
  23. stem — to come from
  24. mate — a partner

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