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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. current — happening now
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. march — the month
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. stock — goods
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. shower — rain
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. mine — for digging
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. shower — to wash
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. current — electric
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mine — an explosive

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