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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pop — music
  3. ball — a great time
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. sharp — clever
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. current — happening now
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. current — electric
  11. court — of a king
  12. pop — to visit
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. court — for sport
  17. stock — goods
  18. pop — soda
  19. current — of water
  20. saw — the tool
  21. foot — a measure
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. court — of law
  24. ball — a dance

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