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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. can — a tin
  6. stem — to come from
  7. game — a match
  8. suit — to fit
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. suit — in cards
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cap — a lid
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. game — wild animals
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. suit — clothes
  23. stock — goods
  24. chair — a professorship

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