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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. stock — goods
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. press — a publisher
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. spell — letters
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. mate — a friend
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. spell — magic
  16. mate — a partner
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. press — to push
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — in a road
  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