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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · saw · wake · game · scale · shower · chair · sharp

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stock — goods
  4. shower — rain
  5. wake — a trail
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. chair — a leader
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. game — wild animals
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. scale — size or range
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. scale — in music
  18. game — a match
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. shower — to wash
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. sharp — clever
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stock — shares

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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