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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. firm — a company
  4. chest — a box
  5. last — to go on
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bear — the animal
  8. firm — steady
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mate — to breed
  12. stock — goods
  13. last — finally
  14. firm — decided
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bear — the animal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. last — final
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. mine — for digging
  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