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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fork — in a road
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bass — the fish
  7. foot — a measure
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. band — a music group
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. band — a ring
  14. bass — low music
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. wake — a trail
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — of water
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stock — shares
  23. game — wild animals
  24. current — electric

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