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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. rash — a series
  3. current — of water
  4. dip — to sink
  5. stock — goods
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stock — shares
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pop — music
  18. rash — hasty
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. current — happening now
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. current — electric
  24. rash — on the skin

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