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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. present — the time now
  3. stock — goods
  4. present — a gift
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. present — there
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. object — an aim
  12. bore — to drill
  13. chest — of your body
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. field — farmland
  18. stock — shares
  19. bore — to tire
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. object — to protest
  23. mate — a partner
  24. object — a thing

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