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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 120 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. current — happening now
  4. saw — the tool
  5. current — of water
  6. key — for a lock
  7. stock — goods
  8. bear — the animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cell — in biology
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bear — the animal
  14. key — the most important part
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. stock — shares
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. chair — a leader
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. current — electric
  23. cell — a phone
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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