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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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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. pass — a permit
  3. stock — goods
  4. current — of water
  5. rest — a break
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. rest — what's left
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. current — happening now
  14. rest — what's left
  15. club — a group
  16. stock — shares
  17. club — for golf
  18. current — electric

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