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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stock — goods
  4. cold — not warm
  5. track — a path
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. track — a song
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stock — shares
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. track — to keep track
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lie — to recline
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. lean — thin
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. lean — to bend
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. cold — an illness

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