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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. rock — a stone
  3. current — of water
  4. cold — not warm
  5. stock — shares
  6. current — happening now
  7. mark — a grade
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mug — a cup
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. clip — a video
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rock — music
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a face
  22. foot — a measure
  23. current — electric
  24. rock — to move gently

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