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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. ball — a great time
  3. current — of water
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. key — for a lock
  6. field — farmland
  7. board — a committee
  8. ball — a dance
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. kid — to tease
  12. field — a subject
  13. board — to get on
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. key — in music
  16. stock — shares
  17. field — for sport
  18. key — the most important part
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. current — electric
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. current — happening now
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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