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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. stock — goods
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. ground — the earth
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. press — newspapers
  7. chair — a leader
  8. ground — a position
  9. press — a publisher
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. press — to push
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stem — to come from
  15. capital — money
  16. track — a song
  17. capital — a city
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. track — a path
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. stock — shares

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