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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. shower — to wash
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rock — music
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. ball — a great time
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. stock — shares
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. ball — a dance
  14. current — happening now
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. current — of water
  18. stock — goods
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. current — electric
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. shower — rain
  23. rock — a stone
  24. ball — a round shape

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