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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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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. dip — to sink
  7. squash — the sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. current — happening now
  11. chair — a leader
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. stock — goods
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. squash — to crush
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. row — a line
  21. rock — a stone
  22. row — to paddle
  23. rock — music
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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