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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · season · mark · stand · calf · leaves · capital · stock

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. season — of the year
  4. chair — a leader
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. stock — goods
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. mark — a grade
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. stand — to bear
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. season — in sport
  24. stock — shares

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