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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. spring — the season
  3. fine — all right
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. rule — a law
  6. stock — shares
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bass — the fish
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. chair — a leader
  17. present — the time now
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. present — there
  20. bass — low music
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. stock — goods

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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