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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. chair — a leader
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. foot — a measure
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. stock — goods
  10. chip — to eat
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. current — of water
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. ground — a position
  17. mine — for digging
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. rule — government
  21. ground — crushed
  22. chip — for betting
  23. rule — a law
  24. mine — an explosive

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