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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. current — electric
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rock — a stone
  9. stock — goods
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rock — music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stock — shares
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. rash — hasty
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cell — in biology
  24. chair — a professorship

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