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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. suit — in cards
  3. stock — shares
  4. rest — a break
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chair — a leader
  7. suit — to fit
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. chest — of your body
  11. current — happening now
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. current — of water
  14. stock — goods
  15. suit — clothes
  16. court — of a king
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. court — for sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. current — electric
  23. chest — a box
  24. chair — a professorship

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