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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stock — goods
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rock — music
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. stock — shares
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rock — a stone
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. mate — a partner
  18. face — to confront
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. face — to point toward
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. face — part of the head

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