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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pound — a weight
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mate — to breed
  5. stock — goods
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. stock — shares
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. file — a document
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. foot — a measure

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