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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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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: rush · stock · suit · foot · sharp · saw · chair · season

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. chair — a leader
  3. suit — to fit
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. sharp — clever
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. rush — hurry
  12. stock — goods
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. season — of the year
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. foot — a measure
  20. stock — shares
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — clothes
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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