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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. stock — goods
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. file — a tool
  10. current — electric
  11. file — a document
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a trace
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. content — happy
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bat — the animal
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. mark — a grade
  23. file — a line of people
  24. racket — a loud noise

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