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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. season — of the year
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. stock — goods
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. season — in sport
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bat — the animal
  24. stock — shares

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