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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pit — in a race
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. spring — a coil
  9. scale — in music
  10. stock — shares
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. spring — of water
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. craft — a skill
  15. current — of water
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. fine — high quality
  19. craft — boats
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. current — happening now
  22. spring — the season
  23. stock — goods
  24. craft — a handicraft

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