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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. current — electric
  4. clip — to cut
  5. stock — goods
  6. object — to protest
  7. current — happening now
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. current — of water
  15. charge — electricity
  16. clip — a video
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. charge — in control
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bound — certain
  21. object — an aim
  22. charge — a price
  23. object — a thing
  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