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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. stock — goods
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bark — to shout
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. ground — crushed
  17. court — of a king
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. ground — a position
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. stock — shares
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. chair — a professorship

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