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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. firm — steady
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. stock — goods
  6. content — happy
  7. stock — shares
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. firm — a company
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. content — the amount
  17. chair — a leader
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. firm — decided
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. date — the fruit

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