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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stock — goods
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. stock — shares
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bark — to shout
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. press — a publisher
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. press — to push
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mine — for digging
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. cap — of ice
  22. press — newspapers
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. mark — a grade

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