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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. present — there
  3. wound — an injury
  4. march — music
  5. present — a gift
  6. stock — goods
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rest — a break
  9. present — the time now
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. march — the month
  17. rest — what's left
  18. march — the month
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wound — an injury

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