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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. present — a gift
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. kick — in football
  7. present — there
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pop — soda
  10. present — the time now
  11. drill — army training
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. stock — shares
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pop — to visit
  19. stock — goods
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pop — music

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