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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. current — of water
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stock — goods
  5. drill — the tool
  6. current — electric
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cap — a hat
  9. perch — the fish
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. stock — shares
  13. squash — the sport
  14. current — happening now
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. drill — army training
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. drill — a practice
  24. perch — for a bird

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