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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. stock — shares
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. scale — size or range
  6. net — for catching
  7. clip — a video
  8. rash — a series
  9. content — happy
  10. current — of water
  11. clip — for paper
  12. content — the amount
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rash — hasty
  15. club — for golf
  16. current — electric
  17. scale — in music
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. net — after costs
  21. club — for dancing
  22. net — in sport
  23. club — a group
  24. rash — on the skin

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