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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. root — of a word
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. root — the cause
  8. rest — what's left
  9. root — of a plant
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. spring — of water
  12. bass — low music
  13. spring — the season
  14. bass — the fish
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stock — goods
  17. rest — a break
  18. stock — shares
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. season — of the year
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. season — in sport

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