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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. current — happening now
  4. stock — goods
  5. dip — to sink
  6. rash — a series
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rash — hasty
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. perch — the fish
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. current — of water
  18. sharp — clever
  19. saw — the tool
  20. current — electric
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. stock — shares

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