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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. staff — employees
  4. bat — the animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. court — of law
  7. staff — a stick
  8. last — final
  9. ground — a position
  10. court — for sport
  11. current — electric
  12. last — to go on
  13. ground — the earth
  14. charge — electricity
  15. court — of a king
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — a price
  18. last — finally
  19. stock — shares
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. stock — goods
  24. staff — employees

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