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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. spring — of water
  3. stock — shares
  4. current — of water
  5. hand — in cards
  6. current — happening now
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. current — electric
  9. rest — what's left
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. rest — what's left
  12. season — of the year
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. hand — help
  15. season — in sport
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. spring — a coil
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. stock — goods
  22. rest — a break
  23. spring — the season
  24. stand — to bear

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