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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. foot — a measure
  5. ball — a dance
  6. staff — employees
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. mate — a friend
  10. stock — shares
  11. land — a country
  12. chair — a leader
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. staff — a stick
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mate — a partner
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. stock — goods
  19. mate — to breed
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. staff — employees
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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