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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. current — happening now
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. mate — a friend
  8. rash — hasty
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. march — the month
  13. stock — goods
  14. current — electric
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mate — to breed
  17. march — music
  18. current — of water
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. march — the month
  21. wind — moving air
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stock — shares
  24. rash — a series

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