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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. 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. wave — of the sea
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rash — a series
  6. content — the amount
  7. present — the time now
  8. content — happy
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. rash — hasty
  11. current — happening now
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. current — of water
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. present — there
  20. current — electric
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. present — a gift
  23. game — a match
  24. 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