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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. season — in sport
  5. rule — government
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — a practice
  14. chair — a leader
  15. rule — a law
  16. season — of the year
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. stock — shares
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. toast — bread
  22. stock — goods
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. racket — a loud noise

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