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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. current — of water
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. lie — to recline
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. court — of law
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. current — happening now
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a city
  21. current — electric
  22. last — to go on
  23. stock — goods
  24. lash — to lash out

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