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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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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. capital — money
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. can — a tin
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. current — electric
  10. can — a tin
  11. rush — hurry
  12. can — to be able to
  13. stock — goods
  14. current — happening now
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. capital — a city
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. current — of water

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