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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. season — in sport
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bound — tied together
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bound — obliged
  10. stock — goods
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. season — of the year
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. deal — to handle
  16. plane — a tool
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. stock — shares
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bound — certain

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