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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 116 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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stock — goods
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. chair — a leader
  11. firm — a company
  12. staff — employees
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. firm — decided
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wake — a trail
  20. rest — a break
  21. staff — a stick
  22. stock — shares
  23. staff — employees
  24. rest — what's left

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