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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. season — in sport
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. chair — a leader
  5. ground — a position
  6. band — a music group
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. ground — crushed
  10. file — a tool
  11. stock — goods
  12. season — of the year
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. club — a group
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. file — a document
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. stock — shares
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — for golf
  21. file — a line of people
  22. band — a ring
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. band — a rubber band

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