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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. last — to go on
  6. season — in sport
  7. scale — size or range
  8. current — of water
  9. kid — child
  10. mark — a trace
  11. last — finally
  12. stock — shares
  13. season — of the year
  14. last — final
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. current — happening now
  18. mark — a grade
  19. kid — to tease
  20. current — electric
  21. stock — goods
  22. rush — hurry
  23. scale — in music
  24. season — to add flavour

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