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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. cap — a lid
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. fine — all right
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bass — the fish
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bank — for money
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. fine — high quality
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cap — a hat
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bass — low music
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. chair — a leader
  21. cap — of ice
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. hide — animal skin
  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