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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 120 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. spell — magic
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. mark — a trace
  5. stock — goods
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. can — a tin
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. track — a path
  11. field — a subject
  12. mark — a grade
  13. can — to be able to
  14. field — for sport
  15. stock — shares
  16. can — a tin
  17. track — to keep track
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. chair — a leader
  20. spell — a short time
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. field — farmland
  23. track — a song
  24. spell — letters

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