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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. stock — shares
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. can — to be able to
  5. stock — goods
  6. race — a contest
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. hand — help
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. deal — to handle
  16. hand — in cards
  17. race — the arms race
  18. current — of water
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. race — humankind
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bat — the animal

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