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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 116 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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. rest — what's left
  4. key — the most important part
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. key — in music
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. stock — shares
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. rest — a break
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. chair — a leader
  20. rest — what's left
  21. swing — to play on
  22. mine — for digging
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mine — belonging to me

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