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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 116 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  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. rest — what's left
  3. ball — a great time
  4. stock — shares
  5. present — a gift
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. present — the time now
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. ball — a dance
  13. present — there
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bound — obliged
  17. stock — goods
  18. rest — a break
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bound — tied together
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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