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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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Word bank
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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. present — there
  3. tear — to rip
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. ground — crushed
  6. vault — a safe
  7. staff — a stick
  8. ground — a position
  9. present — a gift
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. tear — from crying
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. stock — shares
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stock — goods
  17. charge — electricity
  18. staff — employees
  19. charge — a price
  20. tear — from crying
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. present — the time now
  23. staff — employees
  24. charge — in control

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