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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. march — music
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stock — goods
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rock — music
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mate — a partner
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. stock — shares
  24. mate — to breed

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