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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. stock — goods
  6. current — of water
  7. spell — magic
  8. stock — shares
  9. bat — the animal
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bass — the fish
  12. current — electric
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. rest — what's left
  15. key — in music
  16. current — happening now
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bass — low music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. spell — letters

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