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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
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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: suit · mine · rash · press · roll · chair · stock · ground

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. roll — a cake
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. stock — shares
  6. press — newspapers
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mine — for digging
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. suit — to fit
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. suit — clothes
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. press — to push
  15. ground — the earth
  16. press — a publisher
  17. ground — a position
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. stock — goods
  21. rash — hasty
  22. roll — a list
  23. chair — a leader
  24. mine — belonging to me

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