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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. hand — in cards
  8. current — of water
  9. hand — help
  10. rash — a series
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. stock — goods
  14. sharp — clever
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. current — electric
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. stock — shares
  21. rash — hasty
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. current — happening now

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