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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. stock — goods
  3. march — music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chair — a leader
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. march — the month
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stock — shares
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. march — the month
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. hand — in cards

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