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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. rash — hasty
  5. stock — goods
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. staff — employees
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. rash — a series
  16. fork — in a road
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mine — for digging
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — completely
  22. staff — a stick
  23. stock — shares
  24. chair — a leader

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