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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rash — a series
  3. root — the cause
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stock — goods
  6. pit — a hole
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. file — a document
  12. root — of a word
  13. current — of water
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. file — a line of people
  17. rash — hasty
  18. root — of a plant
  19. stock — shares
  20. wax — to grow
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. file — a tool
  23. current — happening now
  24. pit — in a race

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