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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. fine — high quality
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bat — the animal
  8. march — the month
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. march — the month
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. stock — goods
  17. fine — all right
  18. march — music
  19. rash — a series
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cell — a phone
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stock — shares

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