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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 120 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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. track — a song
  4. clip — for paper
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. clip — to cut
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. clip — a video
  12. foot — a measure
  13. track — to keep track
  14. can — a tin
  15. stock — shares
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. court — of a king
  18. stock — goods
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. track — a path

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