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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · mine · leaves · chair · deal · mark · stock · mate

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — shares
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cold — not warm
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. mate — to breed
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cold — an illness
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. stock — goods
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mine — for digging

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