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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — shares
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. perch — the fish
  9. spring — a coil
  10. press — a publisher
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. spring — of water
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. fine — high quality
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. fine — all right
  19. press — newspapers
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. press — to push
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. spring — the season
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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