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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. current — electric
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rash — hasty
  5. stock — goods
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rash — a series
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. clip — a video
  13. pit — in a race
  14. roll — a list
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. roll — a cake
  21. stock — shares
  22. bass — the fish
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bass — low music

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