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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. mug — to rob
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. stock — goods
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mug — a face
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. root — of a word
  14. mug — a cup
  15. root — the cause
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pitch — completely
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. root — of a plant
  24. shower — rain

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