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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stock — shares
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stock — goods
  9. pass — a permit
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. land — ground
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. saw — the tool

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