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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. stock — shares
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. current — electric
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. root — of a word
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. stock — goods
  11. date — the fruit
  12. current — happening now
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. current — of water
  17. root — of a plant
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. root — the cause
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. track — a path
  24. racket — for tennis

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