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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spell — letters
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. tube — the underground
  5. spell — magic
  6. current — electric
  7. tube — a container
  8. current — of water
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. current — happening now
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stock — shares
  16. season — in sport
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. season — of the year
  23. spell — a short time
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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