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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stock — goods
  5. game — a match
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bear — the animal
  8. game — wild animals
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. plane — a tool
  13. stock — shares
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bear — the animal
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. hand — help

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