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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. suit — clothes
  3. rush — hurry
  4. suit — in cards
  5. current — of water
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. current — happening now
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mate — to breed
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. mate — a friend
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. foot — a measure
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. suit — to fit
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. current — electric
  22. stock — goods
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. foot — part of the body

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