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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. net — for catching
  3. pop — music
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. stock — shares
  9. cue — for pool
  10. object — to protest
  11. net — in sport
  12. pop — soda
  13. net — after costs
  14. race — a contest
  15. object — a thing
  16. race — the arms race
  17. cue — a hint
  18. stock — goods
  19. object — an aim
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. race — humankind
  24. cue — a signal

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