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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. stock — shares
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. march — the month
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bass — low music
  10. current — of water
  11. stock — goods
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. current — electric
  14. march — the month
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. current — happening now
  22. bass — the fish
  23. march — music
  24. lie — to recline

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