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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. can — to be able to
  5. stock — shares
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stock — goods
  8. can — a tin
  9. chest — of your body
  10. firm — steady
  11. fork — in a road
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mine — for digging
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. chest — a box
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. can — a tin
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. firm — decided
  24. stock — a soup base

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