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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. last — final
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. chair — a leader
  12. season — in sport
  13. last — to go on
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pit — in a race
  16. hand — help
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. pit — a hole
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. last — finally

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