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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. last — final
  7. kid — child
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. stand — to bear
  14. last — finally
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. kid — to tease
  18. last — to go on
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. chair — a leader

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