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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. chair — to sit on
  2. wake — a trail
  3. root — of a word
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — shares
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. root — of a plant
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. root — the cause
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. content — the amount
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. content — happy
  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