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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 116 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. game — wild animals
  3. stock — goods
  4. game — a match
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. key — for a lock
  10. net — in sport
  11. current — of water
  12. spell — letters
  13. key — in music
  14. stock — shares
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. spell — a short time
  17. key — the most important part
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. spell — magic

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