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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. cold — an illness
  5. pound — a weight
  6. current — electric
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pop — music
  9. current — happening now
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. current — of water
  12. pop — to visit
  13. date — the fruit
  14. staff — a stick
  15. pit — in a race
  16. staff — employees
  17. stock — shares
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. cold — not warm
  20. staff — employees
  21. pop — soda
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stock — goods
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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