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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. club — for dancing
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. club — for golf
  8. field — farmland
  9. club — a group
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. field — a subject
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. field — for sport
  16. stock — goods
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mate — to breed
  19. stock — shares
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. stock — a soup base

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