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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. current — of water
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — in a race
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. net — after costs
  8. toast — bread
  9. mug — a face
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rest — a break
  14. net — for catching
  15. mug — a cup
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. net — in sport
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pit — a hole
  20. rest — what's left
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — child
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. mug — to rob

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