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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: chair · mate · mouse · last · dip · plane · cold · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cold — an illness
  3. dip — to sink
  4. chair — a leader
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mate — a friend
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. last — to go on
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cold — not warm
  15. mate — a partner
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. last — final
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — shares
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. mate — to breed
  24. last — finally

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