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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stock — shares
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. dip — to sink
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stock — goods
  8. scale — in music
  9. current — happening now
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. scale — size or range
  14. squash — the sport
  15. spring — the season
  16. current — electric
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. stock — a soup base

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