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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rock — a stone
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. foot — a measure
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. stock — shares
  16. rock — music
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. sharp — exactly

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