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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. current — electric
  4. land — ground
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. foot — a measure
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. current — happening now
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. current — of water
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. court — of a king
  16. stock — goods
  17. court — for sport
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. court — of law
  24. date — the fruit

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