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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. roll — a cake
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stock — shares
  5. bear — the animal
  6. scale — size or range
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — humankind
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. roll — a list
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — all right
  14. stock — goods
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. fine — high quality
  22. scale — in music
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bear — the animal

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