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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. lean — thin
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chair — a leader
  9. can — a tin
  10. key — the most important part
  11. stock — goods
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. key — for a lock
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. can — a tin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. can — to be able to
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stock — shares
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. key — in 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