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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stock — goods
  3. current — electric
  4. pit — a hole
  5. stock — shares
  6. current — of water
  7. march — the month
  8. hand — help
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pit — in a race
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. saw — the tool
  14. current — happening now
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. fork — in a road
  18. stand — to bear
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. march — music
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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