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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. chair — a leader
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cap — a hat
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. lean — thin
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cap — of ice
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stock — shares
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. stock — goods

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