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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rest — a break
  3. stock — shares
  4. rash — a series
  5. pop — soda
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stock — goods
  8. current — electric
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. deal — to handle
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pop — music
  14. row — a line
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bank — for money
  17. current — happening now
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pop — to visit
  21. bank — of a river
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. current — of water
  24. bank — for money

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