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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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. clip — for paper
  3. current — electric
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. land — a country
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cap — a hat
  8. clip — a video
  9. rash — a series
  10. cap — a lid
  11. current — of water
  12. rush — hurry
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. stock — goods
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rash — hasty
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. land — ground
  22. current — happening now
  23. stock — shares
  24. cap — of ice

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