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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. drill — the tool
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. court — of law
  5. rock — a stone
  6. current — happening now
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. stock — goods
  9. court — for sport
  10. current — electric
  11. drill — army training
  12. rock — music
  13. game — a match
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. current — of water
  17. rash — a series
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. stock — shares
  20. game — wild animals
  21. drill — a practice
  22. dip — to sink
  23. court — of a king
  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