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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 116 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. file — a tool
  3. current — electric
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. current — of water
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. content — the amount
  11. rest — what's left
  12. current — happening now
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. stock — shares
  16. tube — the underground
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. stock — goods
  19. content — happy
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rest — a break
  22. craft — a skill
  23. tube — a container
  24. rash — a series

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