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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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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. stock — goods
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. craft — a skill
  9. craft — boats
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. spell — magic
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pitch — completely
  18. spell — a short time
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. stock — shares
  24. chair — to sit on

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