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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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. chair — to sit on
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. stock — shares
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — all right
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. scale — size or range
  14. squash — to crush
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. squash — the sport
  18. object — to protest
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. object — a thing
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. object — an aim
  23. scale — in music
  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