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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. ground — the earth
  3. stock — shares
  4. current — happening now
  5. rock — a stone
  6. current — of water
  7. wound — an injury
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rock — music
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. suit — in cards
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. suit — clothes
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. current — electric
  20. suit — to fit
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ground — a position
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. ground — crushed

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