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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. stock — shares
  4. bat — the animal
  5. season — in sport
  6. snap — to click
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. stock — goods
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — of water
  14. rash — a series
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rash — hasty
  18. content — the amount
  19. current — electric
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. season — of the year
  23. content — happy
  24. bat — in an idiom

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