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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. staff — a stick
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. land — to come down
  6. capital — money
  7. land — ground
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chair — a leader
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. staff — employees
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. pit — a hole
  14. capital — a city
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pit — in a race
  18. stock — goods
  19. land — a country
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. staff — employees
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stock — shares

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