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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. march — the month
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. ground — the earth
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. current — electric
  9. ground — a position
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. season — of the year
  12. ground — crushed
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. date — the fruit
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. march — music
  17. stock — goods
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. current — happening now
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. current — of water
  22. march — the month
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. stock — shares

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