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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pit — a hole
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mate — a friend
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. chair — a leader
  10. spring — of water
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pit — in a race
  17. snap — to click
  18. stock — goods
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mate — to breed
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. mate — a partner
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. spring — the season

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