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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. object — an aim
  3. game — a match
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. stock — shares
  8. march — the month
  9. stock — goods
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. object — a thing
  18. march — the month
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. game — wild animals
  21. march — music
  22. object — to protest
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. can — a tin

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