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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. key — for a lock
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stock — shares
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. mate — a friend
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. saw — the tool
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — to breed
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. key — the most important part
  18. clip — for paper
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stock — goods
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. key — in music

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