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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. stock — shares
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. swing — in golf
  6. scale — in music
  7. press — newspapers
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. current — of water
  12. stock — goods
  13. foot — a measure
  14. game — a match
  15. current — happening now
  16. mark — a trace
  17. press — a publisher
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. press — to push
  23. current — electric
  24. scale — size or range

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