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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chest — a box
  5. mine — for digging
  6. present — there
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. board — a committee
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. chair — a leader
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to confront
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — a gift
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. face — to point toward
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chest — of your body
  19. board — to get on
  20. stock — goods
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stock — shares
  24. chest — of your body

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