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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. stock — shares
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. current — of water
  10. net — after costs
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — goods
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. clip — a video
  16. mine — for digging
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. clip — to cut
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — bread
  21. current — electric
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. clip — for paper
  24. pass — a permit

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