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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stock — shares
  5. chip — to eat
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. current — happening now
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. sharp — clever
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. current — electric
  16. chip — for betting
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stock — goods
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. current — of water
  21. deal — to handle
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stock — a soup base

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