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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. staff — a stick
  6. land — a country
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. land — ground
  9. ground — the earth
  10. scale — size or range
  11. current — of water
  12. ground — a position
  13. current — electric
  14. land — to come down
  15. scale — in music
  16. staff — employees
  17. stock — shares
  18. staff — employees
  19. stock — goods
  20. bulb — for light
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. current — happening now

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