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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. object — a thing
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. current — of water
  8. mark — a grade
  9. rock — music
  10. object — to protest
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mark — a trace
  13. season — of the year
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. object — an aim
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rock — a stone
  18. tear — to rip
  19. stock — goods
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. stock — shares
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. tear — from crying
  24. season — in sport

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