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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. staff — employees
  6. bound — tied together
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stock — goods
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stock — shares
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. lean — thin
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bound — certain
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bound — obliged
  23. lean — to bend
  24. leaves — lets stay

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