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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: stock · mark · rest · squash · snap · season · chair · march

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mark — a trace
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. stock — shares
  5. season — in sport
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. march — the month
  8. snap — to click
  9. season — of the year
  10. stock — goods
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. march — music
  16. mark — a grade
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rest — what's left
  19. march — the month
  20. rest — a break
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. squash — to crush
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a leader

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