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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. stock — goods
  3. spring — of water
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. court — of a king
  8. spring — the season
  9. press — a publisher
  10. mark — a trace
  11. court — of law
  12. press — to push
  13. spring — a coil
  14. stock — shares
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mark — a grade
  22. chair — a leader
  23. court — for sport
  24. press — newspapers

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