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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. ground — crushed
  3. current — of water
  4. ground — a position
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. current — happening now
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rash — hasty
  10. march — the month
  11. stand — to bear
  12. rash — a series
  13. current — electric
  14. stock — shares
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. march — music
  17. can — a tin
  18. ground — the earth
  19. stock — goods
  20. bat — the animal
  21. march — the month
  22. can — a tin
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stand — on your feet

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