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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. ball — a dance
  3. stock — shares
  4. lean — thin
  5. spring — the season
  6. stock — goods
  7. net — in sport
  8. ball — a great time
  9. net — after costs
  10. staff — employees
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. spring — of water
  14. net — for catching
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. staff — employees
  18. stand — to bear
  19. spring — a coil
  20. chair — a leader
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. staff — a stick
  24. ball — a round shape

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