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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. staff — employees
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. shower — to wash
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cue — for pool
  10. pound — a weight
  11. shower — rain
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. cue — a hint
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. stock — shares
  20. track — a song
  21. staff — a stick
  22. track — a path
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. staff — employees

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