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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. firm — a company
  5. date — the fruit
  6. stock — goods
  7. press — newspapers
  8. stock — shares
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. firm — decided
  14. press — to push
  15. track — a song
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. press — a publisher
  18. roll — a cake
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. firm — steady
  22. roll — a list
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. track — to keep track

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