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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. chair — a leader
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mark — a trace
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. ground — a position
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. season — in sport
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. ground — the earth

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