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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's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. stock — goods
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. current — electric
  5. stock — shares
  6. rash — a series
  7. current — of water
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. last — final
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. sharp — clever
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. current — happening now
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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