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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: shower · rule · chest · stock · suit · jam · snap · foot

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. stock — goods
  3. suit — to fit
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. snap — to click
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. suit — in cards
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. foot — a measure
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. rule — a law
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. shower — to wash
  19. chest — a box
  20. suit — clothes
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. chest — of your body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. shower — rain

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