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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. firm — a company
  3. pound — a weight
  4. craft — a skill
  5. firm — decided
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. firm — steady
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. chair — a leader
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stock — goods
  12. rash — hasty
  13. current — electric
  14. stock — shares
  15. degree — from a university
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. current — happening now
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. rash — a series
  20. degree — an amount
  21. current — of water
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — boats

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