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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chest — a box
  4. rule — a law
  5. craft — a skill
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. fine — high quality
  9. tear — to rip
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. rule — government
  12. stock — shares
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. current — electric
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chair — a leader
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. craft — boats
  21. fine — all right
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chest — of your 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