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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. season — in sport
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. rule — a law
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. stock — shares
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — government
  17. stock — goods
  18. season — of the year
  19. craft — a skill
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. foot — a measure
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. coach — a trainer

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