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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. stock — shares
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rest — what's left
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. sharp — clever
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. season — in sport
  12. stock — goods
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. perch — the fish
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. foot — a measure
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chair — a leader
  24. sharp — exactly

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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