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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. can — a tin
  5. stock — shares
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. can — to be able to
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. can — a tin
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. pass — a permit
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. drill — army training
  16. dip — to sink
  17. cell — in biology
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. cell — a phone
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. stock — goods

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