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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 124 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. stock — shares
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pass — a permit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ball — a dance
  10. capital — a city
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — goods
  13. chair — a leader
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. capital — money
  18. stand — to bear
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. capital — a big letter

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