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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stock — goods
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stock — shares
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. saw — the tool
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. saw — the tool
  18. deal — to handle
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. shower — to wash
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. shower — rain
  24. arm — part of the body

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