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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a leader
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rash — a series
  7. present — the time now
  8. plane — a tool
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. present — there
  11. stock — shares
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. stock — goods
  20. game — wild animals
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rash — hasty
  23. game — a match
  24. coach — a trainer

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