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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: court · stock · fork · shower · foot · rule · patient · bass

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. shower — to wash
  3. foot — a measure
  4. stock — goods
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. court — for sport
  9. stock — shares
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. court — of a king
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fork — in a road
  15. shower — rain
  16. rule — a law
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bass — low music
  20. court — of law
  21. rule — government
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. foot — part of the body

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