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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wake — a trail
  6. spell — magic
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — a permit
  9. spell — a short time
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stock — shares
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. spell — letters
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. stock — goods
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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