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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. tear — to rip
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. stock — shares
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. pit — in a race
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pit — a hole
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stock — goods
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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