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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 120 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: face · rock · swing · sharp · stock · current · spring · chair

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. face — to point toward
  3. swing — to play on
  4. stock — goods
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. spring — a coil
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. face — part of the head
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. current — electric
  13. spring — the season
  14. current — happening now
  15. stock — shares
  16. current — of water
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — a leader
  19. rock — a stone
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. face — to confront
  22. rock — music
  23. spring — of water
  24. sharp — clever

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